The Baltimore Orioles risk falling into an 0-2 hole against the Texas Rangers thanks in large part to the Texas lineup, which has made the O's pitching look, well, not up to par. Baltimore was willing to take that risk heading into the postseason, with Mike Elias choosing not to part ways with any of their top-level prospects at the trade deadline.
There's an argument to be made here, and it's not that the Orioles should trade away all of their top prospects. Prospects eventually become exciting young MLB players, and should they work out, they'll be relatively inexpensive for the Orioles to retain. I get that. Nonetheless, the O's clung to their farm system, and perhaps Elias will want to rethink that strategy should they lose in the playoffs to Texas.
The Orioles World Series window is wide open. It would be a shame to waste such a golden opportunity.
The Orioles should have traded for Jordan Montgomery, not Jack Flaherty
The Orioles traded for the wrong St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, and it was easy to identify at the time of the deal. Baltimore refused to include any of their top prospects in trades for pitchers elsewhere, so they turned to St. Louis, who offered up Jack Flaherty. Flaherty had a couple of decent starts with the O's, but eventually faded down the stretch. Now, he likely won't play much of a role in the team's postseason run.
Montgomery, meanwhile, has looked like a legitimate ace down the stretch for Texas. With Max Scherzer, their other trade deadline acquisition, injured, Montgomery has stepped in and likely made himself a lot of money this winter. Starting against Baltimore on Sunday and perhaps down the line against another worthy foe in the ALCS, Montgomery has proven he's more than just a mid-rotation starting pitcher when a team invests in him.
The Orioles could have dealt one of their top-100 prospects for Justin Verlander
The New York Mets traded Justin Verlander to Houston and offered to pay the majority of his contract. All they wanted in return was a top-100 prospect in Drew Gilbert, who at the time ranked near the bottom of the top-100 rankings. New York saw something in Gilbert, and parting with their lone top-100 prospect (at the time) was tough for the Astros to swallow. However, in return they received a proven ace in Verlander, and one who just recently won an AL Cy Young in Houston.
Baltimore could have had JV, though we assume there was some sort of no-trade clause attached. A chance to pitch for a World Series contender -- and one that wouldn't force his family to uproot ties in NYC, which was reportedly a factor -- would have made a lot of sense. Salary, too, wouldn't have been much of a problem as long as the Orioles would have been willing to part with a top-100 prospect.
The Orioles know their prospects better than anyone else. They opened the season with at least seven prospects on the MLB Pipeline top-100 list. Even with several of those players graduated to the majors, they still have six ranked in the top-100. Surely, they can afford to part with one of those in exchange for Verlander, who could have been the ace this team needed to make a playoff run.
The Orioles could have traded for Eduardo Rodriguez, who wanted a move to the east coast
Eduardo Rodriguez turned down a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline, instead suggesting that he wanted to remain on the same side of the country as his family, who lives in Florida. It's tough to argue with that sentiment. Family comes first.
However, considering this news was known prior to the actual deadline itself (minus before, but it counts), why didn't the Orioles try to make a last-minute trade for the Tigers ace?
Rodriguez is a sure bet to leave the Tigers this offseason and opt out of his contract. After Detroit's trade with the Dodgers fell through, there must've been a window to make a separate deal. In doing so, Baltimore GM Mike Elias would have held all the leverage, as Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris had little to gamble with.
There's a good chance Baltimore could have landed Rodriguez without parting ways with one of their top-100 prospects. The Orioles reside on the east coast, so E-Rod could have agreed to the move. It all makes sense, except Elias didn't pull the trigger.
