All-Star first baseman/DH/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn will be a free agent after the season, making him an obvious trade candidate given the Orioles’ struggles this year. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says Baltimore’s price on O’Hearn is nonetheless “very high,” though that may be standard posturing with the trade deadline about two hours away.
O’Hearn, 32, has an excellent 134 wRC+ in 361 plate appearances this year. It’s worth noting, however, that most of his production came in the season’s first two months, as the lefty slugger has slipped to a 92 wRC+ since June. Also consider that O’Hearn requires a platoon partner; the Orioles sit him against southpaws on a regular basis.
The “very high” price tag, then, feels like a bit of a stretch, but O’Hearn is still a solid bat in a market light on those. One potential suitor is the Rangers, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, althoughEvan Grant of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t see the fit. The Brewers were connected to O’Hearn two days ago. Feinsand notes that the Astros were interested in O’Hearn, but the Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez is “now high on Houston’s radar.”
O’Hearn is earning $8MM this year, meaning about $2.5MM remains. Given that the 2026 qualifying offer will likely be north of $21MM, the Orioles almost have to trade O’Hearn prior to the deadline to recoup some value.
Common Padres get O Hearn to DH leave Sheets in LF.
Padres aren’t paying anything beyond league minimum . These deals don’t make any sense. Trade away best prospects and starting pitching depth for more bullpen depth and another weak hitting catcher. Two things they have plenty of. And still no LF or slug off the bench. And now a starting rotation lacking any depth. Trenton Brooks and Tyler Wade should feel good.
Dan-You’re leaving out the part where AJ’s not done yet. I’d bet any amount of money that a new LF is acquired in the next 2 hours.
Pretending he’s done is a logical fallacy. Especially if you’ve followed AJ over the years.
Maybe. But he is definitely in overpay mode. Other GMs see it. What is left to deal that has much value?
And he still needs to get rid of salary to make a move beyond some entry level minimum wage options.
Cease, Suárez, Salas, Bateman, Neighbors, etc. it’s being reported right now that after getting Correa, the Astros are now moving to starting pitching..and the Red Sox and Yankees are too. Betcha Cease ends up with one of those 3.
Oh look Dan, the Pads just got O’Hearn and Laureano.
Told ya
Nice. Now rebuild SP depth.
Added Nestor, is that move OK with you Dan-o?
Kolek and Bergert are better than Sears and Cortes. So BP better, rotation down, OF and bench better. What do they do with Wagner? Does he have options?
Yes. He’s got 3 options left from my understanding.
the Os do love catchers, so Salas for Ohearn could make sense….. The padres have a thin system otherwise. The Os have also been willing to spend for prospects. Baker for the 37th pick really means Slater De Braun and the 4m it took to sign him.
Evan is right, he makes no sense for the Rangers given their inability to hit lefties.
Suarez is a free agent at seasons end possibly opts out. Miller is insurance in the event he does and is controlled 4 more years
King Cease are also free agents padres probably sign one. Sears is insurance when the other leaves and is controlled 3 more years
Fermin is better offensively and defensively than Diaz and Maldonado who are free agents at seasons end and controlled 4 more years
The moves make sense. Padres acquired cheap cost controlled players to replace guys leaving
Cheap controllable players aren’t cheap.
The next 3-4 years Preller will have 3-4 drafts, 3-4 IFA periods, and 3-4 years of players they kept to develop.
Currently Padres project to roll with
Darvish King Pivetta Vasquez Sears
Next year they project to roll with
Darvish King if resigned Pivetta Vasquez Sears with Musgrove returning
2027 you’d project Mayfield Bateman Mendez to be ready and other pitchers to be drafted.
Fans have to remember not everyone padres traded today is actually gonna make it
Oh no De Vries Nunez Baez Nett Kolek Bergert. Statistically 1 or 2 will actually be something in the mlb.
Orioles still have a lot of trades to make even after the Mullins deal. This waiting until the last possible second thing seems silly to me.
The O’s have traded more players than anyone thus far.
They have a lot more to trade bozo. Thats what i said.
yup- they were supposed to be good and went big on this year- so they had a ton to trade. Their bullpen is likely done. They could move Cano/Akin but with Bautista controlled and on the IR right now, someone would need to basically make the Miller offer for that to happen. I could see a team offering enough to move Akin since a lot of similar RP have garnered basicaly FV 45 SP prospects- and i think that is what it would take.
Ohearn is the only hitter still left on the list to trade. They could deal Adley as a crazy thing, but would need to be an overplay on a guy slumping most of this year. Again i could see a team like the cubs offer brown, horton and caissie for adley- and i think that is enough of the right things for the Os to move him and the cubs to view the years of control to be worth it (still feel that is a little light, but realistic enough that i could see it happening).
SP- Morton is likely just hammering out how much the Os eat, Sugano may not need to eat money to get someone good enough to make the move. Eflin going on the IR makes moving him tricky but not impossible.
I see the ohearn trade likely, very very likely they swing 2 more deals, but i think some of those guys just stick around and walk. At some point the Os need to think about filling innings the rest of the year- and t will be intereting if they all move since that means Povich and McDermott will get a lot of leash.
They traded more players than anyone and are still trading. Only an idiot doesn’t try to extract max value. He’s done a nice job balancing. You’re criticizing to criticize but that’s Joel!
Happy Gilmour said it best, Joel is a ******* **** ******** **** who **** ******* ***** ***!!!
If O’Hearn will play outfield, he’d be a good fit in Houston.
He can but probably shouldn’t. He’d do fine in left field in Houston but will be stretched elsewhere
Pair him with Romy in Boston
Did the Rangers oversleep this week? Almost the deadline and not much being done yet?
The Oriole that makes sense for Texas is Laureano.
“The “very high” price tag, then, feels like a bit of a stretch, but O’Hearn is still a solid bat in a market light on those” is a terrible sentence. “Then” adds nothing and shouldn’t be there.