An Early Breakdown of Baltimore Orioles' Best Trade Bait

We are now two-and-a-half weeks into the MLB season, and the AL East is showing early signs of being a tough division, as it's currently a close race.

After winning the division and advancing to the ALCS for the first time since 1997 last season, the Baltimore Orioles are hoping for a repeat performance this year. The team is built to be competitive and plans on making a playoff run for the third time in the last four seasons.

The team—just like the rest of the league—has holes. And if those holes aren't plugged internally prior to the July 31 trade deadline and the O's are in contention, fans can expect to see the team work toward a trade or two in order to improve the roster down the stretch.

In order to get something of value, the O's will have to part with something of value. Fortunately, the team has some pieces to offer that may appeal to other clubs.

The following players are some early candidates to leave Baltimore this summer in order to improve the overall 25-man roster.

Chris Davis, First Baseman

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It might be a little strange to think that first baseman Chris Davis could leave the Orioles in the middle of a playoff run, but it might make sense in the right situation.

Davis is due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and odds are that the O's won't be able to re-sign him since his agent is Scott Boras, especially if he has a strong season at the plate.

If the O's can target a couple of needs—a bullpen arm and an outfielder, for example—they could attempt to swing a deal with another contending team that is a match to build the depth of the roster.

The Orioles are able to deal their starting first baseman because of their depth at the position. The O's have Steve Pearce, a very capable first baseman defensively, as well as prospect Christian Walker and first baseman/outfielder Chris Parmelee in the minors. Naturally, in order for the team to be comfortable dealing Davis, it would need to have Pearce or one of the guys in the minors hitting well enough to prove they can handle the job, but that's not exactly a far-fetched idea.

Davis would be a very interesting trade deadline piece for the Orioles.

Wei-Yin Chen and Bud Norris, Starting Pitchers

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Wei-Yin Chen and Bud Norris could be trade deadline targets for the same reasons.

Like Davis, both of these starters are slated to become free agents at the end of the season. With 11 players set to become free agents at the end of the season, it'll be tough for the team to retain most of them, meaning the O's may look for ways to swap them for players who are under team control for a longer period of time.

Currently in his fourth season, Chen has been quite a reliable starter for the Orioles since he came to MLB prior to the start of the 2012 season. His career 3.81 ERA is an above-average, solid mark, and he led the team with 16 wins last season. Plus, he's left-handed.

Norris, a 15-game winner in 2014, has a career 4.38 ERA and is in his seventh MLB season. The start of the 2015 season has been rough for him, as he's currently sporting an ERA of 12.18 in 17 innings. But it's reasonable to expect him to figure things out and return to being an effective third or fourth starter soon enough.

Either of these starters could be flipped to another contending team in need of rotation help, and the O's wouldn't really be losing too much because they could slot Kevin Gausman (who is currently in the bullpen) into the starting rotation.

The O's could add depth in another area of the team without losing too much in their rotation.

An Outfielder

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If the O's are looking to deal from a position of strength and depth, then their outfield may be their best bet.

The O's have a plethora of capable outfielders on their roster and in the minor leagues. Of course, center fielder Adam Jones won't be on the table, as he's the team leader both on and off the field. But the O's would certainly listen on anyone else.

The team has been using a combination of players in left and right field so far this season. Alejandro De Aza, Pearce, Delmon Young and David Lough have all been solid contributors to the ballclub and could also appeal to a fellow contender looking to add offensive and defensive depth down the stretch.

Because of the depth the O's possess in this area, they could deal up to two of these guys and still field a competitive outfield. Davis can play outfield if needed, and the team has prospects in the minors—such as Dariel Alvarez and Mike Yastrzemski—who could make an impact in the bigs at some point this season. Nolan Reimold and Julio Borbon could also contribute.

Swapping an outfielder for a bullpen piece, a middle infielder or whatever the O's may need at the time could prove to be a good trade for both teams involved.

A Young Pitching Prospect

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The O's don't have a stockpile of minor league talent, but they have some players they could deal to help the parent club.

Guys such as Zach Davies, Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson and Tim Berry could prove to be useful trade chips in July.

Teams like to have as many pitchers with a high upside in the minor leagues as they can. But for any team to acquire talent, it has to give up talent in return. And sometimes the best way to add to the big league club is to trade away young minor league talent. After all, a team in a playoff chase sometimes has to go all-in.

Trading away one or two of these players could net the O's an important piece, much like how they dealt minor league pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez for reliever Andrew Miller last July in a deal that solidified the O's bullpen down the stretch.

Don't be surprised if the O's move one or more of these guys this summer.