O's trade reliever Baker to Rays for draft pick

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay connected Thursday successful speech for the 37th wide prime successful the 2025 MLB amateur draft, a motion that 1 of baseball's astir disappointing clubs could beryllium sellers astatine the upcoming commercialized deadline.

Orioles wide manager Mike Elias wouldn't wholly perpetrate to that idea. Speaking to reporters earlier Thursday's divided doubleheader against the New York Mets, helium cited the 2024 Detroit Tigers, who traded players disconnected their large league roster but held connected to ace Tarik Skubal and past surged into a playoff spot.

Elias did, however, admit the anticipation of selling connected a time that began with last-place Baltimore (40-50) sitting 12½ games down the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and 7 retired of the last AL chaotic paper spot.

"I deliberation it's a measurement successful that direction," said Elias 3 weeks earlier the July 31 deadline. "There's nary mode astir that. The timing of the draft, and erstwhile you person draught picks progressive successful the trades, benignant of frontloads these decisions, and it's earlier than my comfortableness level. But we thought it was a truly bully instrumentality and a bully commercialized for everyone. So, we did it."

The draught begins Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles selected the declaration of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk.

After a dreadful commencement that brought the May dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles person steadied nether interim skipper Tony Mansolino, playing to a 21-14 grounds since a nonaccomplishment to St. Louis connected May 28.

Baker was a coagulated portion of that, posting a 3.52 ERA, striking retired 49 batters and posting a 1.096 WHIP successful 38⅓ innings arsenic the setup antheral for person Felix Bautista.

"This is simply a squad that is moving successful the close direction, and we inactive person a batch of clip near earlier the deadline, but this was a commercialized with the draught coming up successful a mates days that we had to marque a determination on," Elias said. "We didn't privation to walk up connected the opportunity. Hopefully, we tin usage the prime wisely, bring a batch of worth back, and Bryan's going to a bully place."

Mansolino is besides hoping his squad volition get replenishments successful the signifier of players yet returning from the injured list. That sizable radical includes respective imaginable starting pitchers: Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder), Albert Suarez (shoulder), Tyler Wells (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery).

Meanwhile, Baltimore volition present person 4 of the archetypal 37 and 7 of the archetypal 93 draught picks.

"All the drafts are important, but erstwhile you person this magnitude of picks, it becomes much important, there's nary question astir it," Elias said. "There's conscionable a overmuch bigger accidental up of us, and the draught is simply a lifeblood for our franchise."