Baltimore Orioles: Best-Case Trade Scenarios at the Deadline

Here it is, we're just over a week away from the MLB trade deadline. Before you know it, it will be October and long johns will be a must. The surging Baltimore Orioles (51-44) continue to hold strong in second place behind the Bronx Bombers (57-38) having won five in a row.

However, there are a couple of positions the Birds need to address in order to produce the best playoff team possible.

First off, Baltimore’s starting rotation has been its main downfall this season, and that’s where they need to begin; they sport a collective 4.61 ERA with a 33-37 record. In 550.2 innings of work, they have allowed 569 base hits.

The Orioles’ pen, however, is 18-7 with a 3.09 ERA and is ranked fourth in the American League. So, there is really no change needed out there.

Shaky Starting Rotation

They need a stable, proven starting pitcher who can take control of the rotation and lead them in the right direction. Wei-Yin Chen has been great for the Birds, but he is just 26 years old, not to mention it’s his first season in the major leagues.

Jason Hammel was doing a great job leading his new-look team in the right direction, until he suffered a minor setback and underwent knee surgery last Monday. He should be back in a month or so.

Zach Britton made his return a couple of weeks ago, starting two games and winning in his last outing against the Cleveland Indians. He tossed six scoreless innings, and surrendered just four base hits. In his first start, he allowed four earned runs in six innings against the Twins.

When Hammel returns, they will have him, Chen and Britton at the top of the rotation. The Birds should look to find a veteran starting pitcher who has been around the block and can be effective, as well as help teach the young members of the starting five what it takes to succeed in the majors.

Possible Trade Acquisitions

There are three possible candidates on the Orioles' radar so far: Jason Vargas (10-7, 3.91 ERA) of the Seattle Mariners, Bartolo Colon (6-8, 3.97 ERA) and as I explored in my last article, the Brewer’s Zack Greinke (9-3, 3.57 ERA).

Jason Vargas

“The Orioles, Tigers, and Royals are among the teams that have made inquiries on Mariners left-hander Jason Vargas,” Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes.

The veteran LHP has been in the major leagues for six seasons and sports a career 38-46 record with a 4.41 ERA with three different teams. He began his career with the Florida Marlins in 2005. He pitched to a 5-5 record and earned a 4.03 ERA over his 17 appearances (12 starts).

Over the last two years, Vargas has garnered the attention of possible playoff teams as he’s been on a struggling team in a very competitive AL West. In 2011, he set a career-high with nine wins, and dropped 11 games, but sported an impressive 3.78 ERA.

Last season, he set a new career-high with 10 wins. However, he lost a career-high 13 games on the year and finished with a 4.03 ERA.

Vargas has never finished a season with a record above .500. However, he is on pace to do so this season. He sports a 10-7 record with a strong 3.91 ERA, not to mention that he is pitching for the tough-luck Mariners.

I think he would be a nice addition to the Orioles because he has strong numbers over the last couple of years, and they would not have to give up too much to get him. I’m referring to the notion that the Birds might part with Manny Machado or Dylan Bundy for a top-of-the-line starter like Zack Greinke.

Bartolo Colon

The second name on the list is veteran RHP Colon, who currently pitches for those pesky Oakland Athletics. It looked as if the A’s were out of contention earlier in the season, but they now are tied with the Birds for second place in the Wild Card race.

“The Orioles are among the teams that have shown interest in Bartolo Colon,” Ken Rosenthal reports.

Anyways, Colon is 6-8 with a 3.97 ERA in his 19 starts this season. Over his 118 innings of work, he’s allowed 129 base hits, including 15 home runs.

The 39-year-old out of the Dominican Republic owns a 167-121 career record with a 4.08 ERA in 370 career starts.

Most remember Colon from his days back with the Indians when they went down to the wire each season throughout the latter half of the 90’s. He debuted in ’97 when they made it to the World Series, ultimately losing to the underdog Florida Marlins.

He went 14-9 with a 3.71 ERA in his first full season in the Indians' starting rotation the previous season. In his sophomore year, he broke out for 18 victories and just dropped five games as he earned a 3.95 ERA.

In 2004, Colon notched 18 wins for a second time in his career in his first year with the Angels. The fire-ball RHP has posted a 20 and a 21 win season throughout his illustrious 16-year career.

However, he has not put up double digit victories since he last won 21 games in 2005 for the Angels. Last year, he went 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA in 26 games for the Yankees.

Colon is definitely a veteran, who has experience pitching in the postseason. I think he would make a nice addition to the Orioles’ rotation, and like Vargas, he would not be a costly move. They could probably get away with his acquisition without letting go of Dylan Bundy or Manny Machado.

Zack Greinke

Like I wrote in my last blog post, the Birds are one of the many teams interested in Greinke. However, they would most likely have to give up one of their best two minor league prospects, and fans seem to be resistant to the possibility of losing this type of talent.

Greinke has pitched well for an underachieving Milwaukee Brewers squad—he is 9-3 on the year with a 3.57 ERA, and became the first pitcher since 1917 to start three straight games for a team recently.

He broke into the majors in 2004 at the age of 20 with the Kansas City Royals and struggled to find success. He pitched to an 8-11 record and a strong 3.97 ERA over his first 24 starts.

In 2008, Greinke posted double digit wins for the first time in his career, as he recorded 13 victories and dropped just 10 games with a 3.47 ERA. The following year, Greinke won the AL Cy Young Award after going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA.

Last year was his first year with the Brewers and he tied his career-high with 16 wins on the year, and he finished with a respectable 3.83 ERA.

Everyone is aware of how special this young kid is; he is still just 28-years-old and in the prime of his career. Yes, it would take a tough bargain to lure Greinke, and the Birds would have to give up one of their top prospects, but who knows what Duquette will do to win.

Of course, the Orioles have been in the rebuilding mode over the last five years or so, and they have made great strides with player development. Finally, those top players are nearing completion of the minors, and they might be shipped somewhere else in order to win right now.

Some fans are distraught with the fact that they might lose a top prospect for just the possibility of a successful playoff run. Greinke is still a possibility for the Orioles.

Second Base

Yet again, Brian Roberts is out of the lineup and there is no timetable for his return. The Birds placed him on the DL on July 1 after he suffered a tear in his right hip labral. He is currently throwing soft toss in Sarasota, but still will have to rehab in the minor leagues.

Who knows how long this road to recovery will take this time?

With Robert Andino being placed on the DL a week after suffering a left shoulder strain on July 16; he will be out for three to four weeks. So, the Birds are without a second baseman.

However, Dan Duquette quickly found a replacement for the time being: Omar Quintanilla. In 29 games this season with the New York Mets, he is batting .257/.250/.371 in 80 plate appearances.

The Orioles acquired Quintanilla from the Mets for future considerations, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The Mets, who have confirmed the trade, designated Quintanilla for assignment three days ago to create roster space for Jason Bay. 

So, the need for a fill-in second baseman has been taken care of. 

Third Base

The other major concern for the Baltimore Orioles at this point in the season is the need for a powerful third baseman. Entering last season, they acquired Mark Reynolds for that role.

However, the former Diamondback is becoming a mainstay at first base this season.

In this case, they could definitely use a home run-hitting third baseman that can provide strong numbers at the dish and great defense, because they continue to sit at the bottom of the list defense-wise.

Right now, Wilson Betemit shares time with rookies Steve Tolleson and Ryan Flaherty. Betemit is batting .255 on the year with 11 jacks and 34 RBI over 271 at-bats. He hit .382 in June, but has cooled off since and is struggling at the dish.

Tolleson is batting just .194 with two home runs and six RBI in 62 at-bats, while Flaherty has displayed some power over the last week or so, smashing a couple of home runs, totaling four on the year with 11 RBI. However, he is batting just .204 over his 113 at-bats.

Currently “the Pirates are aggressively trying to land a middle of the order bat while the Orioles are seeking starting pitching and a third base upgrade,” ESPN’s Jim Bowden reports.

However, the Birds do not have any particular name in mind to fill that position.

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