The Baltimore Orioles are entering a critical phase after a dreadful opening two months of the 2025 campaign. The team has to take a big stride forward over the coming weeks to keep alive their feeble hopes of claiming a postseason berth.
As things stand, the Orioles are poised to be sellers at the trade deadline, with several players on their roster drawing close to the end of their contracts. Therefore, they are a potential goldmine for contending teams hoping to make some rental additions.
MLB Insider Rates Orioles Pitcher Among Significant Players to Get Traded at the Deadline
MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post placed Zach Eflin at the top of his list of 25 players that could be moved at the upcoming trade deadline. He rated the chances of the Orioles’ starting pitcher getting traded at 50%.
“If they can’t recover, the Orioles will have little choice but to sell. If so, Eflin would be coveted. He’s a free agent, but they could extend the qualifying offer,” Heyman wrote in The Post on Thursday, June 5.
Eflin is entering the final months of the three-year, $40 million contract he had signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023. He was traded to Baltimore at the deadline last year in exchange for three prospects plus cash considerations.
Eflin, 31, has had a rough start to the 2025 season, including a month on the IL due to a right lat strain. Still, he’s been one of the better performers of the Orioles’ rotation, having a 5-2 record with a 4.47 ERA from 46.1 innings pitched.
Zach Eflin allowed just three earned runs in six innings of work this afternoon.
The right-hander evaluates his performance. pic.twitter.com/1iOYDRb1nC
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) June 5, 2025
Although durability has been a concern regarding Eflin as a starter, he can significantly impact a contending team down the stretch in the short term. Besides, his postseason experience over the past three years also stands him in good stead.
On the other hand, Eflin is not the only Orioles pitcher that Heyman reckons would be traded by the team at the deadline. The senior MLB insider has placed as many as four Baltimore players in the top five positions on his list.
Tomoyuki Sugano is a hot candidate to get shipped out by the Orioles, with Heyman placing his chances at 60%. The 35-year-old veteran had joined the team on a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason.
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Sugano has been the best starting pitcher for the Orioles by a country mile, putting up a 5-3 record over his 12 starts with a 3.04 ERA from 71.0 innings. Therefore, the Japanese right-hander is expected to generate much interest from contending teams.
Center fielder Cedric Mullins is also being touted for a move away from Baltimore before he becomes a free agent at the end of the year. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who has 18 more months of club control left on his contract, is another potential trade prospect.