The Baltimore Orioles came into 2025 hoping to build on last year’s playoff push. But fast forward to Memorial Day Weekend, and the birds have completely crashed. With a 16-32 record, they are dead last in the AL East, and now, trade chatter is taking over the conversation.
Fans are already shifting focus from October dreams to July deadlines. And with the team spiraling, insider Ken Rosenthal believes the front office might pull the trigger on a big move, possibly involving their most dominant reliever.
Felix Bautista: From Untouchable To Trade Chip?
It’s wild to think about, but the man who was once considered untouchable for trade could be Baltimore’s best trade bait, according to Rosenthal. He is earning just $1 million this year, is under team control through 2027, and when healthy, has been flat-out filthy.
“He might bring back the most in a trade,” Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic.
Félix Bautista splitters are absurd when located well. Just gross stuff. pic.twitter.com/MD7lDprjtQ
— Avi Miller (@AviMiIIer) May 21, 2025
In 2023, Bautista locked down 33 saves with a nasty 1.48 ERA, earning All-Star honors and even Cy Young votes. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 season, and though his 2025 return has been a bit shaky, he has still nailed down seven saves. For a contender needing bullpen help, that’s a goldmine.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MLB stories via Google! Follow Us
What about Tomoyuki Sugano? Rosenthal has reported that the 36-year-old is unlikely to move out of Baltimore this season. The Japanese ace has been the only bright spot in a bleak Baltimore rotation. He’s on a one-year, $13M deal, but trading him could hurt the team’s growing ties with Japan, something the front office isn’t keen on messing up.
“Before Sugano, the Orioles’ last Japanese free-agent signee to appear in their uniform was reliever Koji Uehara in 2009,” a The Athletic journalist wrote.
Rosenthal further reported that names like Cedric Mullins or Zach Eflin might get tossed around, but the returns won’t be worth it, and moving them signals a step backward, especially when new owner David Rubenstein is supposed to be selling fans on a vision of growth.
