2021 has marked another year of misery for the Baltimore Orioles. On pace to finish with the worst record in the American League and second-worst record in all of baseball, Baltimore is now turning its attention to the upcoming trade deadline. When July 30 comes, the Orioles will be fully focused on solidifying its farm system and building a roster that can compete in the future.
Make sure to check out all of our other Trade Deadline Previews.
Current Position
Record: 30-62
Rank: Fifth in AL East (25.0 GB)
Status: Sellers
Another half-season has passed, meaning the Orioles are back in the seller’s market. They’ve done a solid job cashing in at the deadline in previous years, parting with players like Richard Bleier, Miguel Castro, Mychal Givens, and Tommy Milone. The Orioles don’t have quite as many rentals on their roster this year, but they should be able to find enough players to part with.
Trade Candidates
Paul Fry, Left-Handed Pitcher
Fry is one of the league’s more talented relievers. Baltimore will only trade him if they are getting a significant haul in return. The southpaw throws his fastball on 59 percent of pitches, his slider on 40 percent, and his changeup very rarely. His slider is his best pitch as its 2,770 rpm ranks 25th in baseball (among 329 pitchers with at least 500 pitches thrown). The 28-year-old posted a 2.45 ERA last year, though that number has jumped to 3.93 in 2021. Perhaps most impressive are his .203 OBA and zero home runs allowed. Fry will certainly be tough to pry away from Baltimore as he costs just $581,000 this year and is under control through 2024.
Maikel Franco, Third Baseman
Once again, the Orioles spent their offseason signing players to one-year deals in hopes of flipping them at the deadline. One of these players is Franco, a career .249 hitter who is currently on the 10-day injured list. If he’s activated by July 30, he would surely be an intriguing trade candidate for several teams. The 28-year-old is slashing .221/.265/.376, though he posted a .278/.321/.457 line in 2020. Franco showed signs of coming on strong prior to his injury as he slashed .269/.305/.462 with four home runs and 17 RBI in the month of June. His big selling point, however, is his defense. The third baseman, who is earning just $800,000 this year, has posted 2.1 dWAR, which is the second-highest mark of his career.
Freddy Galvis, Shortstop
Speaking of banged-up infielders, Galvis is currently on the 10-day injured list with a quad injury. The team hopes to get him back by the end of July, making him quite an intriguing trade candidate. Through 72 games this year, he has posted a mediocre .249/.306/.414 slash line with a career-high .312 wOBA and 97 wRC+. He has also posted a career-high -0.2 oWAR. Meanwhile, his 5.7 dWAR this season is his highest mark since 2017 with Philadelphia. The 31-year-old is quite affordable, raking in just $1.5 million this season.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Andersen Pickard on Twitter @AndersenPickard
Main Image Credit:
One Response