More questions about Orioles’ trades | MAILBAG

Question: Do any of the players received in the four trades have impressive statistics above the Double-A level? If not, is it fair to collectively categorize these trades as “extreme tanking”? From: Steve Cohen

Answer: Steve, two of the players the Orioles acquired have already played for them — catcher Carlos Narváez and reliever Alex Hoppe. Another, starting pitcher, Michael Forret, who was acquired in the trade for Tyler Wells, is in Triple-A and rated sixth among Oriole prospects.

I’m not sure what “extreme tanking” is, but with the advent of the draft lottery several years ago, there’s not any guarantee of securing a high draft choice by playing poorly.

Question: Seems like the Orioles are rebuilding again? Are they giving up on any chance of being a playoff contender? What have they done to make us more competitive this year? From: Richard Clapp

Answer: Richard, I wasn’t a fan of trading Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells because I think they were a better team with them, but I think they’re trying to win by acquiring players who can help in the future.

I don’t think the trades do much to help the team be more competitive this year, but adding Carlos Narváez as a catcher while Samuel Basallo is out has been a good move.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.