Gone are the days when the Baltimore Orioles were the cellar dwellers in the tough American League East. As it currently stands, they have 71 wins this season, which is tied for the second-most in the majors. Their squad is led by the tremendous success of their youngsters, such as Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The incredible string of victories of the O's is a bit ahead of schedule, but the impressive run puts them as one of the legitimate contenders for the AL pennant this year.

Since Baltimore built its phenomenal squad through its farm system, the front office has been hesitant to let go of most of those pieces. Over the past two seasons, the O's could have been more aggressive in the trade deadline, but they decided to go on a conservative approach. At this year's deadline, they added two right-handed pitchers in Jack Flaherty and Shintaro Fujinami.

Flaherty will be the more crucial acquisition because they are expecting him to be their ace for the postseason run. Amongst the 10 players with the highest WAR on their roster, Kyle Bradish is the only starting pitcher in that group. With the postseason, these are some of the moves O's can anticipate in the near future.

Activate Tyler Wells

One surprising top performer from the O's pitching rotation was 28-year-old Tyler Wells. After the All-Star break, Wells has struggled to find his rhythm, so he has been down to the minors. He has been starting to flourish and a promotion to the majors is inevitable. The looming question would be if the organization will still decide to start Wells or put him as a fantastic option as a long reliever.

Wells has pitched over 113 innings already this year, which is by far the most of his career. In just his third year in the majors, it would not be advisable to push his arm too much, especially with the arrival of Jack Flaherty. Wells' 1.021 is an appealing number, so the hope is he will continue his emergence in a different role when he returns to the majors.

Promote Joey Ortiz

The infield depth of the Orioles has been a serious topic of discussion, especially when superstar prospects like Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg get promoted in the next couple of seasons. Without Holliday and Westburg yet, budding prospect Joey Ortiz must hope that he gets ample playing time in lieu of Jorge Mateo if manager Brandon Hydge decides to go on that route.

Ortiz has been racking it up in Triple-A, so another promotion to the majors is not far-fetched. He has played 15 games with Baltimore, but his confidence is not at an excellent level yet. Ortiz's major asset has been his fielding prowess, so if Mateo continues struggling to lessen his errors, Ortiz may just get a chance at shortstop.

Orioles promote Heston Kjerstad

The University of Arkansas stint of Heston Kjerstad is mentioned a plethora of times to magnify how much power he brings to the plate. It seems inevitable for Kjerstad to be promoted before the end of the regular season because he will be a reliable option as a left-handed pinch hitter. He had some health concerns at the early juncture of his career, which severely affected the progression of Kjerstad's MLB career.

The 2022 Arizona Fall League MVP was a pleasing sight to revitalize his career, which has been the key to the dominance in the minors for Kjerstad's baseball career. If he gets promoted soon, his responsibilities will focus more on his threat with the bat and occasional chances at the corner outfield positions.