It took some time, but the Baltimore Orioles are now one of the best teams in baseball, which is something that hasn't been said for a long time. The roster is now arguably at its apex, albeit through a lengthy build that took an immense amount of patience from the Orioles' front office and fanbase. Now the question is, are they ready to make risky moves at this year's MLB Trade Deadline?

No matter how good the Orioles are, they could always be better, especially in a division where they're not only fighting off the New York Yankees but also a surging Boston Red Sox team.

Last year's young team got a taste of what the postseason was like, and now with experience plus some offseason additions, they look primed to make for a longer stay in October and not be bounced out of the first round like last year.

At 54-31, the Orioles currently have just a one-game lead over the Yankees. This will likely be a back-and-forth battle all season long, which makes it even more sensible why Baltimore will be looking to buy as the trade deadline approaches.

Good news for the Orioles is that they have the top-ranked farm system in the MLB Pipeline. However, is general manager Mike Elias ready to come off some of that top talent after finally building to his liking? He'll have to if he wants the Orioles to have a run in the postseason.

What top prospects will the Orioles deal at the MLB Trade Deadline?

Though rumors have swirled lately about Elias potentially trading the No. 1 overall prospect in the MLB Pipeline, Jackson Holliday, no one actually believes that will happen. Given how much time and effort has been put into rebuilding the Orioles' farm system, trading away the top prospect in all of baseball seems erroneous.

But the Orioles will have to part with at least some of their talent, no doubt. After all, they should be looking at adding to their rotation after losing Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells for the season. Arms, especially good arms, aren't cheap. But no one knows exactly the route the Orioles will go in order to acquire additional talent.

With Holliday on the untouchable list (or at least he should be), that still leaves a sizeable cupboard full of prospects to put on the trade block. One being No. 2 ranked prospect catcher Samuel Basallo.

This is really if the Orioles want to swing big, say going after a Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. In Double-A this season, he's slashing .279/.340/.458 with an OPS of .798, and has hit 11 homers with 34 RBI. Basallo was just named to the 2024 All-Star Futures Game (per The Baltimore Sun), which should only speak even higher of his talent.

The Orioles are never short on young infielders, which makes a case for second baseman Connor Norby to be put on the trade block. The 24-year-old, who also plays outfield, has already been called up to the majors once this season. He played in four games, hitting one home run. The rest of his time has been spent back in Triple-A, where he's batting .290 with an OPS of .874. Wherever he goes at the next level, he'll have to learn how to cut down on his strikeouts. He currently has 92 this season in 269 at-bats.

If the Orioles look into dealing a future arm talent, then 24-year-old left-hander Cade Povich could be an option. Since being drafted in 2021, he's continued elevating through the minor league system, but not long ago got called up to fill in to help the Orioles' beat-up rotation.

So far, Povich is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA in five appearances and 26.2 innings pitched. He's given up 23 hits and four homers while striking out 17 and walking 10 in that span. Before he was called up, he was 5-1 in Triple-A with a 3.18 ERA.

Povich likely still has a solid future, but the Orioles need veteran talent in the rotation now, and Povich seems expendable in this case.