Good morning Birdland,
The GM Meetings took place in Las Vegas this week. No major moves were announced, but plenty of rumors have come out since. If these reports are to be believed, the Orioles have taken
a rather aggressive posture heading into this winter. They want to rectify what went wrong in 2025, and get back to competing in 2026. Of course, we have heard similar anecdotes before, so we’ll believe it when we see it.
One particular name that generated some buzz this week was Adley Rutschman. This was not necessarily the Orioles “shopping” their catcher, but rather other teams asking about him. It’s understandable. Samuel Basallo is locked up for the next eight seasons, and Rutschman has struggled for the last year and a half. Would the Orioles be open to moving him?
According to Mike Elias’ end-of-season press conference, Rutschman is poised to be the “frontline” catcher for the team in 2026. Presumably, Basallo would then spell him occasionally while also getting starts at first base and DH. That is a set up that makes sense to me. There are questions about Basallo’s glovework behind the plate while Rutschman, despite struggling with the bat recently, has maintained decent catching metrics. So just keep them both for 2026 and see how it goes. In theory, they will both stay fresh, you can put them in positions to succeed, and could have the absolute best catching situation in baseball.
Trading Rutschman does not feel like a “win-now” move. What could the Orioles possibly get for him that would make sense on the 2026 team? A team that wants Rutschman is not going to give up a frontline starter, a legitimate closer, or a right-handed impact bat in return. They would part with prospects, sure, but is that something the Orioles need? The big league roster is plenty young, and they just had a massive draft class in 2025. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense from the Orioles perspective.
This conversation could be entirely different by midsummer. If the Orioles struggle again in April and May, Rutschman is a name, among many others, that should be on the trading block by July. Solid catchers are a rare commodity, and he could fetch a reasonable return for an Orioles team that would need to be taking a hard look in the mirror in that scenario.
A rebound for the Orioles in 2026 would guarantee that Rutschman spends the entire season in Baltimore, but it wouldn’t preclude him from being on the move ahead of a contract year in 2027. If Basallo breaks out, and the Orioles get comfortable with Coby Mayo at first base, Rutschman’s value would shift. Suddenly, he would be worth more as a trade chip.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Rutschman is an Oriole. And just because other teams have asked about him does not mean he is on the move. The expectation should continue to be that he will be the Orioles everyday catcher in 2026.
Links
MLB GM Meetings buzz: Future of Skenes and Skubal, Orioles getting calls for Rutschman and more | The Athletic
In addition to the single line about Rutschman, this includes several obvious notes about the Orioles. They are looking for a closer and starting piching. Stop the presses!
Leftovers for breakfast | Roch Kubatko
Roch gives the rundown on the most recent minor league signee, Richard Guasch, that might get some run in the team’s bullpen in 2026. Also, there is some good stuff on Enrique Bradfield Jr.‘s work in the Arizona Fall League.
Here are the 2025 Arizona Fall League award winners | MLB.com
Speaking of the AFL, Bradfield was named the “Defensive Player of the Year” for the league. That’s pretty neat. There seems to be little doubt about his ability with the glove and on the bases. He might not have the bat to be a leadoff hitter like some envisioned, but a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder at the bottom of the lineup isn’t a terrible alternative.
Pondering trade chatter about Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman | Baltimore Baseball
The consensus seems to be that the Orioles are not moving Rutschman unless they get absolutely overwhelmed with an offer. The odds of them getting that sort of offer might not be zero, but it’s close. We probably don’t need to expend any more energy over this.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Dylan Bundy turns 33 today. The fourth overall pick in 2011, Bundy debuted with the Orioles as a 19-year-old the very next year. Then he went back to the minors for several seasons, reemerging in 2016 and becoming a serviceable but unremarkable rotation option through 2019. He was then dealt to the Angels for four pitchers, including Kyle Bradish.
- John Stephens is 46 years old. All 65 MLB innings he tossed came with the 2002 Orioles.
- Darwin Cubillán celebrates his 53rd birthday. He appeared out of the Orioles bullpen seven times in 2004.
This day in O’s history
1961 – Orioles slugger Jim Gentile and his 46 home runs finish third in AL MVP voting behind Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
1983 – Cal Ripken Jr. is named AL MVP. The shortstop led the league in hits and runs scored. He becomes the first major league player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in back-to-back seasons.
