One more week. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training one week from today.
In the next seven days, a looming question may be answered. Will a new pitcher be joining that group of Baltimore Orioles players on February 13?
One thing that is certain right now is that there are a lot of outfielders heading into camp following the pitchers. Seven out of 40 players are outfielders.
The returns – Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad. We also will see the new and somewhat new guys – Daz Cameron, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson and Ramón Laureano.
Obviously, there is no way all seven of those men break camp. O’Neill definitely will, as he was paid to be Anthony Santander’s replacement and will play nearly every day.
The really interesting ones are Carlson and Laureano. And by interesting, I do think they may be signs of a trade, which would be the logical answer to that “looming question.”
Out of those seven players, one sticks out as the obvious trade bait, and that’s Kjerstad. The former No. 2 overall selection has been in the forefront of trade rumors since the start of the 2024 season. Now, it does look all the more likely the young slugger could be the piece moved to bring in another arm.
However, I don’t fully believe Kjerstad is the lay-up answer to the “who’s getting traded” question. There is a possibility Mullins could be dealt.
Looking at the signings of Carlson and Laureano, it’s clear they’re not here for the offense. That was also supplemented by bringing in O’Neill, retaining O’Hearn and adding Gary Sánchez as the backup catcher instead of re-signing James McCann.
If GM Mike Elias and Co. trade Mullins, that leaves a big hole in the outfield defense. Well, it would have before.
Cowser is fully capable of playing center field full time. We have already seen that. Laureano can as well, and that may be part of the reason behind bringing him in as opposed to someone like Randal Grichuk, who just re-signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Both Laureano and Grichuk signed nearly identical deals. A $4-5 million contract for 2025 with some form of an option for 2026. Grichuk is still well above average offensively, as he posted a .291 average, 140 OPS+ and a .875 OPS in 2024. Where he lacked severely was defense.
For Laureano, he still hit left-handers very well in Atlanta last year, which plays into Brandon Hyde’s style. However, he earned nearly all of his 1.3 bWAR on the defensive side. That defense, paired with the ideology in the front office that there is enough offense already, helps supplement a Mullins trade that allows you to keep your former No. 2 selection.
Carlson is versatile due to the minor league options he still has. That allows Elias to have some roster flexibility with the outfield. It also allows Carlson to be the camp competition for players like Cowser and Kjerstad.
The next week before the first leg of spring training begins, and it will be interesting. Oriole fans will want to be tuned in during the homestretch of this offseason.
Do you think we will see a trade before pitchers and catchers report? If so, who do you think will be the center piece? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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