The Baltimore Orioles may find themselves in a very different position at this year's trade deadline than where they were last year, but their overall objective is the same. The ultimate goal is to surround the young core with pieces that will support a run of contention, even if it means saying good-bye to short-term assets in the process.
So far, the club's process has been somewhat of a mixed bag, and a deal from last year's deadline stands out as a clear failure that continues to haunt the club. When Baltimore acquired lefty starter Trevor Rogers for outfielder Kyle Stowers and third baseman Connor Norby, they thought they were swapping some of their excess position player talent on the margins for a 27-year-old pitcher who was on the upswing and could help the rotation grow.