Trevor Rogers, Felix Bautista Trades Reportedly 'Unlikely' by Orioles at MLB Deadline
Despite having already moved Bryan Baker in a trade, the Baltimore Orioles don't appear likely to go into full sell-off mode with their top pitchers before the July 31 deadline.
Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Orioles are "unlikely" to trade Trevor Rogers or Félix Bautista even though they are listening to offers for both players.
The Orioles have been arguably the most disappointing team in MLB this season. They entered the All-Star break with a 43-52 record, ahead of only the Athletics (41-57) and Chicago White Sox (32-65) in the American League.
It seems like a safe bet the Orioles will be selling leading up to the trade deadline, but Rogers and Bautista are both under club control for at least one more season that they don't have to aggressively pursue a deal for either one.
Bautista has two more years of arbitration after this season, so the asking price would presumably be exorbitant. The right-hander hasn't shown any lingering effects from the Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all 2024. He has a 2.41 ERA, 18 saves and 48 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
Rogers is off to a promising start after missing the first two months of the season due to a knee injury. He owns a 1.53 ERA in 35.1 innings over six starts. The southpaw has thrown at least six innings in four of his six appearances.
Given how soft the market for starting pitchers could be leading up to the deadline, Rogers might bring back a nice return. The problem, though, is the Orioles' rotation is already thin and they don't have a lot of prospects ready to step in as they look ahead to 2026.
Neither player makes a lot of money, so there's no significant cost savings for the Orioles if they traded one or both. Rogers is making $2.6 million and Bautista is earning $1 million.
Teams can always change their approach leading up to the deadline, but it doesn't make sense for the Orioles to move either Rogers or Bautista if they want to put their best roster on the field next season.
