The Baltimore Orioles should seriously consider making a major move before the 2023 MLB trade deadline. The Orioles have been one of the best teams in baseball, on pace to win 102 games with more than 35% of the regular-season complete. If Baltimore hopes to pass the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and potentially win the World Series, the Orioles might need at least one significant trade deadline addition.
With two months remaining until the 2023 MLB trade deadline, the Orioles have one clear need. Baltimore ranks fourth among American League teams in runs scored. Baltimore's ERA from its relievers ranks fifth-best, though the Orioles might have the best backend of the bullpen in the AL. In the rotation, Baltimore ranks well outside of the top five. The Orioles' starting pitchers have a combined 4.78 ERA, good for 10th in the AL.
Fortunately for the Orioles, the top players who are expected to be available before the Aug. 1 trade deadline are starting pitchers. Baltimore might have the best farm system in MLB. Parting with highly touted prospects in exchange for a frontend rotation pitcher could significantly increase the Orioles' chances of contending this year.
Who are some players that Baltimore could realistically acquire this summer? Let's take a look at two early Orioles' 2023 MLB trade deadline targets.
Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
As long as he remains on the White Sox roster, Lucas Giolito might be the best player who finds himself consistently in trade rumors. The White Sox are 24-35 through 59 games, seeming unlikely to turn their season around. There's a strong sense that Chicago will become a seller before the trade deadline. It wouldn't even be surprising if the White Sox completely blow up their roster and start a full rebuild. In either scenario, Giolito will be Chicago's top trade candidate and a perfect fit in the Orioles' rotation.
Giolito is in the final year of his contract. The White Sox risk losing the right-hander in free agency if they keep him through the trade deadline. Baltimore could view Giolito as a three-month rental or a future member of its rotation that the team will try to sign for the long term.
Before pitching to a 4.90 ERA in the 2022 season, Giolito had a sub-3.54 ERA in three straight years. He was a top-11 AL Cy Young finisher in each of those seasons. Giolito seems to have regained that form. Chicago's starter has a 4.08 ERA in 12 starts, including a 3.34 ERA over his last 10 outings. Considering his experience and production, Giolito might become the Orioles' Game 1 starter in a playoff series.
Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians
Shane Bieber seems like a less obvious trade candidate than Giolito. The Guardians are three games ahead of the White Sox in the loss column and coming off a trip to last year's playoffs. Bieber won't be a free agent until after the 2024 season. He's a former AL Cy Young winner and finished seventh in last year's voting for the award. But there are mounting reasons to believe that the Orioles can acquire Bieber at the trade deadline with the right offer.
Three MLB general managers believe that the Guardians will move Bieber before the 2023 trade deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. It would be in line with Cleveland's history. The Guardians have consistently traded their young stars before they could hit free agency and demand massive contracts. Bieber would join Trevor Bauer and Francisco Lindor, being traded for a haul of young prospects as Cleveland looks to keep one of MLB's lowest payrolls.
Bieber might not become the Orioles' ace in the event of a trade. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner has struggled in 2023, posting a 3.72 ERA with a career-low 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Through 12 starts, Bieber has surrendered a league-high 76 hits. Bieber is also one year removed from posting a 2.88 ERA with 198 punchouts in 200 innings pitched. A diminished version of Bieber might still be one of the Orioles' best options out of the rotation in a short playoff series.
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