The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Orioles firing manager Brandon Hyde (2:30)
- The Dodgers promoting Dalton Rushing to be a backup catcher (14:00)
- José Alvarado of the Phillies getting an 80-game PED suspension (28:20)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Who are some hitters who could be available at the deadline? (36:05)
- Who are some pitchers who could be available at the deadline? (46:40)
- When will the Pirates fire general manager Ben Cherington? (53:00)
Check out our past episodes!
- Devers Drama, Managerial Firings, And Jordan Lawlar – listen here
- Replacing Triston Casas, A Shakeup In Texas, And The Blue Jays’ Rotation – listen here
- Mailbag: Red Sox, Alonso, Tigers, Tanking, And More! – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Orioles at 15-32 have to be the biggest disappointment in baseball. Even PECOTA had them at 89.5 wins, winning AL East. Most projections had them at least at a wildcard.
Hyde lost the locker room between late last year and early this year. He may in fact be a decent manager. Is he a miracle worker that is the primary reason a team wins 101 games or a brick wall that sinks a team to lose 110? No. But he’s managed teams that have done both. The team has been moping, playing uninspired. And this year, lacking fundamentals, hustle, making inattentive plays, they’ve looked bad. I don’t think replacing with his 3B coach in Mansolino and keeping the rest of the staff is bringing in the new message the team needs.
Hyde mismanaged the bullpen at times and seemed to either yank starters way early or leave a reliever in a couple batters too long and turn a winnable game into a 4 run deficit. He also had questionable lineup decisions. If O’Hearn or Holliday got a few hits and a lefty came in, they sat and Mateo (who is not a major league hitter) would start. Mountcastle continues to bat 4th or even 2nd. Leadoff hitters deployed can’t get on base.
There are glimmers recently:
– Henderson in the past 20 games: batting .288, OPS .882 with 5 HR. These stack up with 2024 #’s. Despite 2 inexcusable errors, he has just 4 on the year and his other defensive metrics aren’t bad.
– Holliday in 86 May AB: 3 doubles, 4 HR, hitting .303, OPS of .903
– Mullins and O’Hearn have been doing very well in intervals.
But, the offense seems to pull individually and not as a group. Especially when they hit .190 with RISP, hardly ever show patience at the plate, and there never seems to be a sustained rally.
– Mountcastle despite a recent hit streak still only has 2 HR in 45 games despite the wall moving in.
– Rutschman still around .200 and that’s puzzling given increase in line drives, hard hit %, EV, etc.
Notice these are all offense players. Nothing is going to overcome this pitching staff. Only Sugano, whose underlying metrics are still questionable, has fared well as a starter. Povich shows some glimmers, Kremer will always run hot and cold, Eflin hurt, Morton and Gibson provided 10 losses singlehandedly and the bullpen that was solid has shown overuse.
But again, not Hyde’s fault he was stuck with Morton or Gibson, or the total bust in O’Neill. That’s on the GM who’s stepped in it more often than not since obtaining Flaherty down the stretch in 2023. Like 3 bad moves for ever decent one at best.
I’m afraid that Elias will set the team further back at the deadline and this winter if he stays unless he’s been humbled and undertakes a major course correction. The Orioles could have gotten Fried with what they spent last year. No reason they couldn’t have traded for Luzardo or gotten Pivetta. They can’t be cute, as the podcast mentioned. They must be THE players for all the top and #2-#3 starters and getting 3 or 4 of them in the fold is the goal.
The O’s could have traded some their young infield prospects in the offseason for better pitching. It was reported that they weren’t interested in parting with any of those talented youngsters; instead they were only willing to offer Mountcastle. Perhaps they will try a different strategy this winter.
Wabbit — Are you saying the Orioles should have traded Henderson, Holliday, or Westberg for Starting Pitching? You think they should this off-season?
Okay….which SP should/could they have gotten for such talent?
Last winter, perhaps Sandy Alcantara or Dylan Cease. Reports were that at the time, they were both available. The Marlins or Padres likely would have had to add to their end do to the limited years of control, but they & others were mentioned as available in trade.
So you would have traded Henderson, Holiday, or Westberg for 1 year of Cease or recovering from TJ surgery Alcantara??
(4.50 and 7.99 ERA’s in 2025 so far).
Hindsight is 20/20 on Alcantara. No one saw the drop off coming. I already accounted for the lack of control with my previous post. There were likely other pitchers who could have been pried away with more control, but top of the rotation arms are expensive in prospect capital. Choosing to go into the season with the pitching they had is garnering predictable results.
“Predictable results”?? Uh, since every outlet in Baseball/Gambling predicted the Orioles were a top 5 team, I’d say being one of the 5 worst is the definition of unpredictable.
It was unpredicted by hundreds of Professional Sports minds that all have/make money from the game.
I just wanted to know who it is that you would have traded Henderson, Westerberg, or Holiday for, and you keep coming back with “somebody”.
If trading one of those 3 players for a SP would have made the outcome of the Orioles season different, I’d like to know who that guy is.
I would be thrilled to see the Pirates hire Brandon Hyde.
Thornton — Agree on all the trees, disagree with forest.
Recentcy bias I think has distorted your perspective.
The season is on the players. Across the board, they are all injured or under-performing. Blaming Elias for a lack of clarvoyance while wearing 20-20 hindsight lenses is rash.
As you pointed out, the outcome of the Orioles season fooled everyone in/around the game. How could Elias see it any way but what everyone else saw?
Elias shouldn’t be expected to be perfect.
The core is still insanely young in their MLB carrers…the future is still very very bright for a long time to come still. I’m as hungry for this as any Orioles fan, but progress isn’t always linear.
A deferred/development/reload year. There’s a lot of good that come from this year. ((But man, it sure is Brutal to watch right now..ugh))
I found Mrs. Elias.
I found Mr. Elias jillited Ex.~
Elias. He gone.