Back in 2022, the Baltimore Orioles began to emerge from a perpetual slumber akin to the one in which the Cincinnati Reds have been mired for nearly a decade and a half. They surged to 101 wins the following season, and just last year won 91 more games before being bounced in the AL Wild Card round.
This year? Woof.
Baltimore sits 10 games under .500 and in last place in their stacked division, and on Thursday they kicked off July trade season by shipping reliever Bryan Baker and his multiple years of team control to Tampa for a Competitive Balance Round A pick that they’ll use on Sunday on the first day of the MLB Draft.