This season did not go the way the Baltimore Orioles hoped it would.
A promising young core of players were expected to lead the Orioles to the top of the American League East for a second straight season, but that is not at all what happened.
The lack of success from one player in particular has sparked trade conversations and left folks wondering what the likelihood is that former No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman could be traded in the offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes that Rutschman may be a top trade target when the offseason rolls around.
“Adley Rutschman felt like the long-term face of this franchise almost immediately upon his arrival in the big leagues in May 2022. Yet, here we are, 39 months later, and the Orioles have failed to sign him (or any of their other young stars) to a long-term extension,” Miller wrote.
There were hefty expectations for Rutschman coming into the big leagues and he lived up to those in his first two seasons. The 2023 season, especially, was the best in the young career of the former top pick. A season slash line of .277/.374/.435 with 31 doubles, 20 home runs and 82 RBIs made it look like Rutschman was already one of the best catchers in MLB and would remain one for foreseeable future.
That has not, however, been the case as injuries and poor play over the last two seasons have taken Rutschman out of those conversations. He entered Monday hitting .227 with nine home runs after hitting just .250 with 19 home runs last season.
The struggles from Rutschman are just one factor that could lead to him being traded. Sunday, the Orioles promoted MLB‘s top catching prospect Samuel Basallo to the major leagues for his debut.
Combine the impending production from Basallo with the fact that Baltimore’s top two picks in this season’s MLB Draft were catchers, and it feels like the writing may be on the wall for Rutschman’s departure from the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2019.
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