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Ryan O'Hearn

Pirates Sign Ryan O’Hearn

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January 9th, 2026: O’Hearn will make $14MM this year and $15MM next year, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. There are also some other incentives based on awards voting and All-Star appearances.

January 8th, 2026: The Bucs officially announced the O’Hearn signing today but still haven’t announced a corresponding move.

December 23rd, 2025: The Pirates and first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with a $29MM guarantee. The ACES client can also earn an extra $500K each year via incentives: $100K for 450 plate appearances, another $100K for 475, then $150K for 500 and 525 plate appearances. Pittsburgh has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move for this to become official.

O’Hearn, now 32, has been enjoying a late-career breakout over the past three seasons. He played parts of five seasons with the Royals from 2018 to 2022 with just a .219/.293/.390 line to show for it.

The Royals designated O’Hearn for assignment in December of 2022. The Orioles saw enough potential in him to acquire him by sending cash considerations to Kansas City. Baltimore designated him for assignment shortly thereafter and passed him through waivers.

If you’ve ever wondered why a team would acquire a player and put him on waivers a week or two later, O’Hearn provides the explanation. The O’s opened a roster spot for other moves while keeping O’Hearn in a non-roster capacity. He had a strong spring in 2023 but Baltimore still sent him to the minors to begin the season, maintaining depth.

By the middle of April 2023, O’Hearn was back in the big leagues and has been on an upward trajectory since then. He hit 14 homers for Baltimore that year and slashed .289/.322/.480 for a 118 wRC+. His 4.1% walk rate was quite poor and he benefited from a .340 batting average on balls in play but it was a fantastic upgrade over his previous work.

More improvements came in 2024. His .264/.334/.427 batting line again led to a 118 wRC+, an exact match for the year prior, but it felt more earned this time. His BABIP dropped to a below-average .282 while his walk rate more than doubled to 9.3%.

In 2025, a year he split between the O’s and Padres after a deadline trade, he increased his walk rate yet again to 10.7%. His 17 home runs were a career high. His batted-ball luck turned again, as he posted a .330 BABIP. That all led to a .281/.366/.437 line and 127 wRC+.

He also seemed to have less of a platoon split. Like many lefty hitters, he has often struggled against southpaws. But in 2025, he had a .278/.358/.474 line and 135 wRC+ against lefties. That was in just 109 plate appearances and he had a .358 BABIP in the split but it was an encouraging development nonetheless.

In addition to his work at the plate, O’Hearn provided some defensive versatility. He mostly played first base but also logged around 150 outfield innings in each of the past three seasons.

The entire package lined O’Hearn up for a nice payday, though he wasn’t quite at the level of guys like Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso or Josh Naylor. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted O’Hearn to secure a two-year deal worth $26MM. He’s gone just a shade beyond that.

Few would have predicted the Pirates to be the club to pay O’Hearn. They have been one of the least active clubs in free agency in the past decade. They haven’t given any free agent a multi-year deal since Ivan Nova’s three-year pact back in 2016. Their last multi-year deal for a free agent hitter was two years and $8MM for John Jaso in 2015. The largest free agent guarantee in franchise history is still the three-year, $39MM deal for Francisco Liriano from 2014.

But they have clearly come into this offseason determined to overhaul their lineup. The past few seasons have seen them develop a big stockpile of pitching talent but they have had far less success with developing their position player prospects.

The Bucs flirted with contention in 2023 and 2024 but without making the postseason. The 2025 club sputtered and never really felt in it. The offense was a big part of the disappointment this year. The club had a collective .231/.305/.350 line and 82 wRC+, with the Rockies the only club with less offensive production. Spencer Horwitz was the only individual on the team with a wRC+ greater than 101.

Before the 2025 campaign was even over, it seemed likely that they would focus on adding offense this winter. The general expectation was that they would do that by trading from their deep supply of starting pitchers, which they have done, but they have been surprisingly active in free agency as well.

They reportedly offered Naylor a contract somewhere in the range of $80MM, before he returned to the Mariners on a deal paying him $92.5MM. They offered Schwarber around $120-125MM before the Phils brought him back with a $150MM deal.

Being a runner-up for a free agent is only worth so much but it has been clear that the Pirates are now more willing to spend than in other offseasons. They have also been connected to Jorge Polanco, before he signed with the Mets, Kazuma Okamoto, who is still a free agent, and some other hitters.

O’Hearn isn’t quite as exciting as Schwarber would have been. It’s also true that the club still has the embarrassing record of having never given a free agent $40MM. Still, O’Hearn is their biggest free agent splash in years and becomes one of their best hitters.

As mentioned, the Bucs have also used their pitching surplus to add more offense. They acquired Jhostynxon García in the trade sending Johan Oviedo to Boston. They sent Mike Burrows to Houston in a three-team trade that brought back Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum from the Rays, alongside lefty reliever Mason Montgomery.

Time will tell if there’s more to come before Opening Day. For now, O’Hearn jumps into a position player that group which could develop in a few different ways.

The Pirates don’t really have a full-time designated hitter, with Andrew McCutchen currently unsigned. He has repeatedly re-signed with Pittsburgh in recent years but there have been some hints that the two sides are a bit less likely to reunite for 2026.

As of now, Lowe and Horwitz could be the regulars at second and first, respectively. Horwitz has a bit of second base experience but that was with the Blue Jays when the presence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made it hard for him to get playing time at first. The Bucs kept him at first base in 2025.

Lowe isn’t a great defender, so perhaps he could see regular time in the DH spot, or Horwitz and O’Hearn could share first base and DH.

There’s also room for O’Hearn in the outfield. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds should have two spots spoken for. Guys like García, Mangum, Jack Suwinski and Billy Cook are in the mix for playing time but O’Hearn playing the outfield could leave the DH spot open for Lowe.

That would then leave more second base playing time for guys like Nick Yorke, Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales. Triolo and Gonzales could also be factors at third base and shortstop but prospect Konnor Griffin might charge forward and become the shortstop before long, though he’s only 19 years old and hasn’t played the Triple-A level yet.

It’s possible the Bucs make even more moves in the coming months but a lot will be determined by the health and performance of the various moving parts on the roster.

RosterResource, assuming the O’Hearn deal has equal salaries in the two years, projects the Bucs for a $96MM payroll next year. That’s tiny compared to the other clubs in the league but high for them. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, they got to just under $100MM in 2016 but have been below $90MM since 2017.

The coming weeks and months will shed light on if there’s more to come. For now, the Bucs have made yet another move to upgrade the lineup in 2026. This wouldn’t be an especially noteworthy commitment for any other club but it’s the biggest deal for Pittsburgh in quite some time. For O’Hearn himself, it’s got to be an especially gratifying day for a guy who was passed through waivers about three years ago.

FanSided’s Robert Murray first reported the Pirates were signing O’Hearn to a two-year, $29MM with $500K in incentives. Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the incentive structure. Photos courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, John Jones, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Contracts For Imai And Okamoto, And Thoughts On The Pirates And Giants

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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…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Twins Exploring Mid-Tier First Base Market

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After entering the offseason as expected sellers, the Twins have seemingly reversed course. They’re now inclined to hold Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and Pablo López while making a few depth additions. Speaking at the Winter Meetings, general manager Jeremy Zoll highlighted revamping the bullpen and adding a power hitter as two offseason goals.

Minnesota has never spent much on the bullpen under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. That’s likely to continue this offseason, as they’ll presumably take a volume approach and bring in a few arms on one-year deals. They could aim a bit higher in their pursuit of a power hitter. That’s likeliest to come at first base.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that Minnesota has checked in with each of Ryan O’Hearn, Rhys Hoskins and Josh Bell. Hayes writes that the front office has around $20MM to spend this offseason. That opens the ability to play in the third or fourth tier of free agent bats.  The Twins should be able to find an upgrade over utility player Kody Clemens, who’s probably the top in-house option at first base.

O’Hearn, a lefty bat, would be the most expensive of that trio. The 32-year-old is coming off a .281/.366/.437 showing with 17 homers across 544 plate appearances between the Orioles and Padres. He has been an above-average hitter in three consecutive seasons. O’Hearn has improved his approach while hitting between 14 and 17 longballs in each of the past three years.

That should be enough to secure a multi-year contract. MLBTR predicted a two-year, $26MM deal in ranking O’Hearn the #30 free agent in the class. A $13MM average annual value would evidently be within Minnesota’s overall budget, but that’d leave very little room for the bullpen or a utility infielder. It seems likely the Twins would aim lower if O’Hearn’s market pushes into an eight-figure annual salary.

Hoskins and Bell are more straightforward one-year deal candidates. The former is coming off a .237/.332/.416 showing with 12 homers in 90 games for the Brewers. He got out to a hot start but had a terrible June before suffering a left thumb sprain. That cost him six weeks and opened playing time for Andrew Vaughn, who surprisingly thrived in Milwaukee. Hoskins was relegated to a bench bat role when he returned in September. He’s only a season removed from hitting 26 homers, albeit with a middling .214/.303/.419 overall slash line.

Bell has signed a series of one-year deals over the past few seasons. He played on a $6MM contract with the Nationals in 2025, batting .237/.325/.417 with 22 longballs across 533 plate appearances. Bell is exceptionally streaky within seasons but pretty consistently ends up as a slightly above-average overall hitter at the end of the year. (He has some parallels to former Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario in that regard.) That was again the case this past season. Bell took a .219/.307/.372 line into the All-Star Break before rebounding with a .267/.353/.489 performance in the second half.

Hoskins is a right-handed batter. Bell is a switch-hitter who has generally been better from the left side of the plate. A righty bat might make more sense given the presence of lefty-swinging first base/DH options like Clemens, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach and Edouard Julien. Lefty-hitting Nathaniel Lowe and right-handed Paul Goldschmidt should also be available on one-year deals.

Latest On Pirates’ Offseason Pursuits

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The Pirates are looking to upgrade their offense for next year and are seemingly casting a wide net. They reportedly made a run at Josh Naylor before he re-signed with the Mariners and have been connected to free agent Kyle Schwarber. Per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, they are also considering free agents such as Jorge Polanco, Kazuma Okamoto and Ryan O’Hearn. They have also checked in with the Cardinals about trade candidates Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman.

It’s been a long time since the Pirates have been big players in the offseason but recent reporting has suggested they could be more active this winter, at least relatively speaking. No one is expecting them to suddenly be a player for someone like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette but there is some smoke suggesting they could push things further than in the past. They’ve still never given a free agent a guarantee larger than the three years and $39MM they gave to Francisco Liriano over a decade ago. Their most recent multi-year deal for a free agent was two years for Ivan Nova in 2016.

It’s a low bar to clear but it’s possible the Bucs set new benchmarks in those categories. Per The Athletic, it’s possible that is related to the upcoming expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. The CBA is up just over a year from now and teams may want to look like they are spending their revenue sharing money, in order to keep receiving it in the next CBA. However, the report suggests this is likely more of an issue for the Marlins than the Bucs since Pittsburgh got their competitive balance tax number over $105MM in 2025. That was the target for the A’s in 2025 as they looked to increase their CBT number in order to avoid a grievance from the MLBPA.

Even if the CBA stuff isn’t relevant, there are plenty of straightforward baseball reasons for the Pirates to get more aggressive. They haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2018. They have a strong collection of controllable and affordable starting pitchers. The group is headlined by Paul Skenes, who is controlled for four more seasons, but he’s just a year away from arbitration and the associated salary increases. Konnor Griffin is considered by some to be the top prospect in the sport right now. He reached Double-A this year and could make his big league debut in 2026, even though he doesn’t turn 20 years old until April.

Put it all together and there’s a good case that now is the time to strike. Upgrading the offense is an obvious goal. The team had a collective .231/.305/.350 batting line in 2025. That resulted in an 82 wRC+, putting them ahead of just the Rockies among MLB clubs. Spencer Horwitz was the only guy on the team to post a wRC+ higher than 101. They have a lot of work to do but a lot of ways they can add.

Polanco has spent many years as a strong bat who can play the infield. He had an injury-marred 2024 but bounced back with the Mariners in 2025. He hit 26 home runs and slashed .265/.326/.495 for a 132 wRC. Early in the year, the Mariners frequently kept him in the designated hitter slot, as it seemed he wasn’t 100% recovered from his knee surgery. However, later in the year, he was playing second base fairly regularly.

MLBTR predicted Polanco could secure a three-year, $42MM deal this offseason. That would surpass the aforementioned Liriano deal, but only barely. The Bucs have Horwitz at first base but their infield is fairly open apart from that. As mentioned, Griffin coming up in 2026 to take over shortstop is a possibility but probably not something to be banked on today. Otherwise, Pittsburgh has a cluster of multi-positional infield guys like Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, Nick Yorke, Tsung-Che Cheng and Enmanuel Valdéz.

Polanco would be an obvious upgrade over the guys in that cluster, who could each end up in utility roles or optioned to the minors. However, he’s sure to have interest elsewhere. For instance, the Mariners are known to want to bring him back.

O’Hearn wouldn’t be as smooth of a fit. He’s best suited to be a first baseman, where the Bucs have Horwitz. The designated hitter spot is open right now, though it’s possible the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen circle back to each other later. O’Hearn can play a bit of outfield and the Bucs do have room there next to Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, so perhaps there’s a way to make it work.

He is coming off a three-year run wherein he slashed .277/.343/.445 for a 121 wRC+. That’s a strong stretch but he’s a tad on the older side for a position player free agent since he’s 32. MLBTR predicted he could secure a two-year, $26MM deal. If that proves to be correct, the Bucs wouldn’t even have to stretch into uncharted waters to get it done.

Okamoto is a bit more of a wild card since he’s coming over from Japan and isn’t proven as a major leaguer but reports suggest he should be a viable big league bat. He hit at least 27 home runs in seven straight seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018 to 2024. In 2025, he was limited by injury to just 69 games but still hit 15 homers and slashed .327/.416/.598 for a 210 wRC+. There are mixed opinions about whether he can stick at third base or if he’s destined to move to first.

MLBTR predicted him to land a four-year, $64MM deal. The signing club will also owe a posting fee to the Yomiuri Giants, relative to the size of the guarantee. If he does secure a $64MM deal, the posting fee would be $11.5MM. Put those two figures together and the Bucs might have to double their commitment to Liriano to get something done here.

As for the guys in St. Louis, the Cardinals are known to be entering a rebuilding phase. They kicked things off by dealing Sonny Gray to the Red Sox today, the first of several seller moves expected from that club this offseason. Donovan and Nootbaar are each controlled for another two years. Assuming the Cards don’t expect to return to contention in that window, it makes sense to listen on both. Gorman is controlled for three more seasons but is also less established as a viable big leaguer, so the Cards probably aren’t clinging to him too tightly.

Since he is a strong hitter and can play multiple positions, Donovan makes sense as a target for almost every team. He’s already been publicly connected to the Astros, Royals and Guardians but that’s presumably not an exhaustive list of his suitors. He has hit .282/.361/.411 for a 119 wRC+ in his career while playing all four infield spots and the outfield corners. He underwent sports hernia surgery at the end of the 2025 season but is expected to be fine by spring training.

Nootbaar doesn’t have Donovan’s versatility, as he’s just an outfielder. His bat is enticing but he’s coming off a down year and his health status is more questionable. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .246/.351/.426 for a wRC+ of 118. In 2025, he dropped to a .234/.325/.361 line and 96 wRC+. He recently underwent surgery to shave down Haglund’s deformities on both heels and may not be fully recuperated by the start of 2026.

Gorman has real power and can take his walks but also has problems with strikeouts. He has 74 home runs in his 1,581 plate appearances but has also been punched out at an untenable 34% clip. Since the start of 2024, he has a .204/.284/.385 line and 87 wRC+. He has mostly played second base but has had a lot of time at third as well, in addition to brief showings at first and in left field.

Donovan is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to make just $5.4MM next year, with Nootbaar projected for $5.7MM and Gorman $2.9MM. That makes them all more affordable than the free agent options but the Bucs would also have to send prospects the other way.

It can sometimes be difficult to pull off trades among teams who share a division but the Bucs don’t seem to mind. They recently lined up a notable deal with the Reds, sending Ke’Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati ahead of the deadline. If the Cards aren’t going to contend for the next few years, perhaps they wouldn’t be bothered if their former players are in Pittsburgh during that window.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Mike Elias On The State Of The Orioles

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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 Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias to discuss…

  • Elias’s promotion from general manager to president of baseball operations (1:45)
  • Why the Orioles underperformed in 2025 (3:30)
  • The club’s lack of investment in free agent pitching (5:25)
  • The decision making about playing time for prospects when they don’t find immediate big league success (9:20)
  • How Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo can co-exist on the roster (12:35)
  • Getting six prospects from the Padres in the Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano trade (14:50)
  • Trading Bryan Baker to the Rays for a draft pick (16:55)
  • Seeing the potential in O’Hearn before his breakout (18:45)

Plus, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors joins the show to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Tim Heitman, Imagn Images

Padres Acquire Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano

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The Padres’ frenetic trade deadline continued today, as they bolstered their offense by trading for first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramon Laureano from the Orioles.  Six 2024 Padres draft picks will head to Baltimore in return: Boston Bateman, Cobb Hightower, Tyson Neighbors, Brandon Butterworth, Victor Figueroa and Tanner Smith.

O’Hearn and Laureano stood as two of the more obvious trade candidates on the Orioles’ roster. The former is a pure rental earning an $8MM salary in 2025, while the latter is owed $4MM this year and has a $6.5MM club option for the 2026 season. Both are in the midst of productive seasons at the plate, and both will provide noted upgrades to San Diego’s lineup.

The 32-year-old O’Hearn was acquired from the Royals for peanuts three years ago. His stock was low enough after the acquisition that Baltimore even succeeded in passing him through waivers. O’Hearn was selected back to the majors mid-April in 2023 and never looked back. He hit .289/.322/.480 that season and has now slashed .277/.342/.454 in three years as an Oriole. Along the way, he’s radically improved his plate discipline and hit tool. O’Hearn walked in only 4% of his 2023 plate appearances while fanning at a 22.3% clip. He’s up to an 11.6% walk rate in 2025 and has fanned at a 14% clip and 17.5% pace, respectively, in the past two seasons.

O’Hearn doesn’t hit lefties well, despite holding his own in 2025, so the Friars will likely platoon him to the extent possible. Adding a right-handed bat like Laureano makes that goal easier. The 31-year-old is in the midst of a career year at the plate, hitting .290/.355/.529 (144 wRC+) with 15 home runs in 290 plate appearances. He handles lefties well enough to take some at-bats off O’Hearn’s plate, but Laureano’s production in right-on-right matchups this year (.305/.368/.563) should be robust enough that he’s in the lineup on a daily basis.

The Padres can plug Laureano in as their primary left fielder and install O’Hearn at first base or designated hitter versus right-handed pitching. O’Hearn and Luis Arraez give the Friars a pair of lefty-swinging first base/DH options with plus contact skills (though Arraez is in a class of his own in that regard). Gavin Sheets likely loses some playing time as a result of this, though pushing him to the bench with Laureano and O’Hearn in the starting lineup makes for a much deeper group of hitters all around. Sheets being pushed into a limited role probably reduces the opportunities for Bryce Johnson and Trenton Brooks.

Laureano has played primarily in the outfield corners for the Orioles this season, though he’s no stranger to center field, either. He’s drawn plus marks in both corners both this year and throughout his big league career. That’s an important element of the acquisition in and of itself; the Padres have been a roughly average team defensively in left field this year, but that’s due primarily to early contributions from the since-released Jason Heyward. Sheets has seen plenty of time in left field and posted below-average marks there. Laureano should be a boost both with the bat and with the glove.

Given next year’s $6.5MM option, Laureano seems quite likely to be more than just a short-term rental. He’ll give the Padres an option in left next year — and an affordable one at that.

For a Padres club that is bogged down by major financial commitments to Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish and Nick Pivetta (among others), that’s a notable perk. The Padres already have $166MM on next year’s payroll, not including arbitration raises to Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and new acquisitions Freddy Fermin and JP Sears.

The Orioles will receive a heavy volume of lower-level prospects in exchange for the latest pair of veterans they’re shipping out. Bateman was the Padres’ second-round pick one year ago and took home an over-slot $2.5MM bonus. He’s a huge 6’8″ southpaw selected out of a California high school and has spent the 2025 season in Class-A, where he’s posted a 4.08 ERA with a 25.8% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate.

Baseball America ranked Bateman sixth in San Diego’s system. The lefty garners praise for a heater he runs up to 96 mph — which surely seems faster given the extension he can generate with his long levers — as well as an upper-70s curve with plus spin. He’ll have more work to do on his command as he continues to face more advanced hitters, and he’s still working to add a develop an average third pitch.

The 20-year-old Hightower was last year’s third-round pick by the Friars. He’s spent the season in Class-A and batted .239/.363/.314 in 190 plate appearances. BA had him eighth in the Padres’ system. Despite this year’s pedestrian output, he’s regarded as a bat-first infielder who may have to move off shortstop down the road.

Neighbors is a 6’1″, 220-pound righty whom San Diego selected in the fourth round out of Kansas State last year. He’s already climbed to Double-A and has pitched 43 2/3 innings with a 1.85 ERA, 37.6% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate in that time. Much of that success has come against younger competition, it should be noted. Baseball America calls Neighbors a no-doubt reliever with plus stuff and shaky command. He ranked 20th in the Padres’ system.

Butterworth was the Padres’ 12th-round pick last summer. The 22-year-old NC State product is having a nice year in High-A, slashing .267/.327/.455 with 11 homers, 17 doubles, seven triples and a 13-for-15 showing in stolen base attempts. He didn’t rank among the system’s 30 best prospects on BA’s most recent update. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen listed Butterworth as No. 38 among the 38 prospects he ranked in their system last month.

Smith was a 15th-rounder out of Harvard. He’s pitched out of the bullpen in the Padres’ system this year and logged a 3.46 ERA in 26 frames between the Rookie-level Complex League and their Low-A affiliate. The 6’6″ righty has missed plenty of bats but also walked 11.6% of his opponents. He’s not a ranked prospect in the system, nor is the 21-year-old Figueroa, whom the Padres took in last year’s 18th round. Figueroa is a first baseman and corner outfielder who’s hitting .318/.420/.588 between the Complex League and Low-A — impressive numbers on the surface that were primarily compiled against teenaged opposition in the low minors.

Latest On Ryan O’Hearn

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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.

Brewers Have Interest In Ryan O’Hearn

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The Brewers are among the teams with interest in Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He adds that Milwaukee was one of the clubs in contact with the Diamondbacks about another lefty-hitting first baseman, Josh Naylor, before Arizona dealt him to Seattle.

O’Hearn is arguably just behind Naylor as the next-best impending free agent lefty hitter on the trade block. The 32-year-old O’Hearn was a first-time All-Star this season. He tore the cover off the ball for the season’s first two months, batting .333/.420/.542 with nine homers and eight doubles through the end of May. He’s down to a far less impressive .215/.318/.331 slash since the beginning of June. O’Hearn has been plagued by a meager .245 average on balls in play over this most recent stretch. His strikeout and walk profile remains strong, but his power output has dropped significantly. He only has three longballs over the past two months.

The slump is naturally a slight hit to O’Hearn’s trade value as Thursday’s deadline approaches. He’ll nevertheless be a popular target for teams looking for a boost against right-handed pitching. O’Hearn has a patient plate approach and has good if not elite batted ball metrics. He carries a strong .283/.348/.463 batting line when holding the platoon advantage going back to the start of 2023.

Baltimore is all but guaranteed to trade O’Hearn, who is a couple months from free agency. They presumably wouldn’t want to make him a qualifying offer, and they could give 23-year-old Coby Mayo everyday first base reps for the stretch run. O’Hearn is playing on an affordable $8MM salary, leaving roughly $2.5MM to be paid from the deadline on.

That should be a manageable sum for Milwaukee. They took on some money to fortify the backup catcher spot with tonight’s Danny Jansen trade. Jansen is another right-handed bat on a team that skews a little bit towards that side of the plate. They’re without lefty-hitting first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Bauers right now due to a shoulder impingement. O’Hearn is a better hitter than Bauers regardless. Andrew Vaughn has been playing first base every day with Rhys Hoskins also on the injured list. Vaughn has raked through his first 14 games in a Milwaukee uniform but hit .189/.218/.314 across 48 contests with the White Sox earlier in the year.

Elias: Orioles’ Trade Talks Focused On Players “Towards The End Of Their Contracts”

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The Orioles managed to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rays earlier today but are still 10 games under .500 with a -99 run differential. They’re 13.5 games out of first place in the American League East and 8.5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot — with seven teams they’d need to leapfrog to get there. They already traded righty Bryan Baker to the Rays earlier in the month, and general manager Mike Elias suggested in an interview on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that further players are likely to be shipped out. The GM made clear, however, that he’s focused on trading short-term pieces and not players who are under club control well beyond the current season.

“When we’re at this point in the standings and 11 days away from the trade deadline, we’ve got to be realistic about our situation,” Elias said. “The conversations I’m having right now are more oriented toward what’s out there for some of our available major league players. We’re not blowing up the team. We think we’re going to be very good again in 2026 and have that intention. We’re not interested in changing the foundation of the team, but to the degree that we have players that interest other clubs, who are coming towards the end of their contracts, we’ve got to listen to that. That’s what we’re spending our time on now.”

Whether it’s Elias who has an aversion to long-term contracts or the two ownership groups under which he’s worked — the Angelos family sold the Orioles to a group led by David Rubenstein prior to the 2024 season — the Orioles don’t have many players signed long-term. Elias has only signed one free agent (Tyler O’Neill) to a multi-year contract and has not brokered extensions with any of the team’s young core. They have a very appealing group of young players who are still controlled via arbitration, but Baltimore’s proclivity for one-year contracts gives them plenty of players to market in the next couple weeks.

First baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and corner outfielder Ramon Laureano are all in their final guaranteed seasons in Baltimore. (Laureano does have a reasonable $6.5MM club option for 2026). Catcher Gary Sanchez is also on a one-year deal, although he’s likely out until September due to a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

On the pitching side of things, starters Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano are all free agents at season’s end, as are relievers Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez. Right-hander Andrew Kittredge, like Laureano, is on a one-year deal with a club option for the 2026 season. His is valued at $9MM.

O’Hearn, earning $8MM this season, is hitting .282/.378/.458 with a dozen homers. He’d be one of the best rental bats on the market. Mullins is earning $8.725MM and hitting just .218/.300/.4o5 with 13 homers and 14 steals, but he’s one of very few center field options who could be available. The resurgent Laureano is having a career-best year at the plate, hitting .276/.340/.498 through 247 plate appearances while earning just a $4MM salary.

Eflin has been out for nearly a month due to a back injury, which presumably contributed to him surrendering 17 runs in his final nine innings before being placed on the injured list. That ugly stretch ballooned his ERA all the way to 5.95, but he had a 4.08 mark prior to that stretch and is coming off a 2023-24 run in which he tossed 343 innings with a 3.54 ERA and terrific strikeout/walk rates. He’s making $18MM this season. Eflin has posted a 1.50 ERA in three minor league rehab starts, and he told Jake Rill of MLB.com yesterday that he feels like he’s ready to rejoin the rotation.

Morton’s struggles earlier this season were in many ways emblematic of the team’s struggles as a whole. He’s righted the ship after being dropped to the bullpen for a few weeks, though. While the 41-year-old righty is still sporting a grisly 5.58 ERA, he has a 3.47 mark in his past 47 innings. Morton was trounced for seven runs in his most recent outing versus Tampa Bay, but he’d pitched 51 2/3 innings of 2.61 ERA ball prior to that. Even with the ugly last start, he looks largely back on track, though his $15MM salary is another impediment.

Sugano, 35, is in his first big league season. A longtime star in Japan’s NPB, his year has been the inverse of Morton’s: a terrific start followed by an extended rough patch. Sugano carried a 3.04 ERA into June despite possessing one of the lowest strikeout rates in the sport (14.2%), but his lack of missed bats has caught up to him. He has a 7.94 ERA and has been torched for seven home runs over his past six starts (28 1/3 innings). He’s on a $13MM salary.

The left-handed Soto and right-handed Dominguez both miss plenty of bats and have shaky command, although Soto has his walk rate down to a more passable 10.1% this year. Both average better than 97 mph on their heaters, and their ERAs (3.67 for Soto, 3.72 for Dominguez) are nearly identical. Fielding-independent metrics grade them similarly as well, pegging them both in the mid-3.00s. Soto is making $5.35MM to Dominguez’s $8MM. The 35-year-old Kittredge missed the first two months of the season due to a knee procedure he required during spring training but has been solid since returning: 3.86 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate.

It’s not clear from Elias’ comments whether the Orioles will at least entertain offers on players controlled beyond the current season. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported last week that Elias has at least heard out other teams who’ve called on lefty Trevor Rogers and closer Felix Bautista, but that could be mere due diligence. Bautista, controlled two more seasons via arbitration, would be a particular shock if moved. The Dodgers are among the teams who’ve called, but a deal feels decidedly unlikely.

The O’s have some buy-low bats, but it’s hard to imagine anyone taking on even a portion of O’Neill’s contract when he’s signed through 2027 and hitting just .182/.270/.327. Ryan Mountcastle is an interesting buy-low option, but he hit just .246/.280/.348 before a hamstring tear sent him to the 60-day IL. He’ll begin a rehab assignment soon and could be a non-tender candidate with a poor finish, so perhaps there’s more willingness to listen there. Baltimore’s core seems unlikely to be available in any capacity, however. It’d be a true stunner if any of Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser or Jackson Holliday wound up being seriously discussed.

Latest On Mariners’ Deadline Approach

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The Mariners are reportedly seeking corner infield and bullpen help as the deadline approaches, and MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer reported recently that ownership has signaled it will approve a payroll increase to facilitate such transactions. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times hears similarly, writing that Mariners ownership will authorize increased spending for the front office to add to the roster while ticking through some potential options.

Both Ryan O’Hearn of the Orioles and Josh Naylor of the D-backs are viewed as likely trade candidates over the next month. Both would fit the Mariners nicely at first base, allowing Luke Raley to spend more time in the outfield, where he’s more comfortable than at first base. However, early asking prices from both Baltimore and Arizona are quite high, per Jude.

O’Hearn has repeatedly elevated his game in recent seasons and now stands as one of the most productive hitters in the American League. He’s currently sitting on a .295/.383/.471 batting line with 11 homers, 10 doubles, an 11% walk rate and just a 16.3% strikeout rate through 282 plate appearances. He had a tough month in June, but since being traded from Kansas City to Baltimore in the 2022-23 offseason, O’Hearn has proven himself to be a credible middle-of-the-order bat. He hasn’t quite sustained last year’s enormous gains in contact rate, but he’s chasing off the plate at a career-low rate, walking more and showing a bit more power than he did in 2024.

Naylor offers a similar, albeit not identical skill set. Last year’s career-high 31 homers are far more than O’Hearn has ever produced, though some of that is a simple function of playing time. Naylor logged 633 plate appearances in 2024 (a career-high); O’Hearn has never topped last year’s 494 trips to the plate. Both have above-average power with far better contact skills than the prototypical first baseman/designated hitter. Naylor has fanned only 13% of the time he’s come to the plate in 2025. His 8% walk rate is a bit below average, but his overall .304/.359/.474 slash is terrific.

Looking strictly at 2025, O’Hearn has been a bit more impactful in the batter’s box, but the pair’s last three seasons are virtually identical. Naylor has slashed .279/.340/.472 in 1452 plate appearances, while O’Hearn has turned in a .280/.342/.455 line in 1144 plate appearances. They’ve both walked in 8% of their plate appearances. On a rate basis, Naylor has shown a slight bit more power (.193 ISO to .175), but the difference is minimal. The two are compensated similarly, but Naylor is paid a bit more: $10.9MM to O’Hearn’s $8MM. Both are free agents at season’s end.

In a more interesting but also far less plausible scenario, Jude further reports that the Mariners would have interest if the Red Sox were to make Alex Bregman available. That perhaps speaks to ownership’s willingness to add to the payroll, although presumably, the M’s would be looking for the Sox to at least help with some of Bregman’s heavily deferred $40MM annual salary.

The idea of a Bregman trade is interesting in theory but hard to envision in practice. Players with opt-out clauses and player options are rarely traded, and the massive scale of Bregman’s annual salary only further muddies his candidacy.

In broad terms, it’s difficult for two clubs to line up on prospect compensation for a player with multiple years remaining on his contract but the ability to opt back into free agency at season’s end. The acquiring team generally views that player as a rental — typically an expensive one, salary-wise. In a best-case scenario, that player will produce for two-plus months and then head back to free agency. In a worst-case scenario, he’ll suffer a major injury or see his performance tank, only to forgo the opt-out chance and stick the new club with an unwanted additional year (or years) of the contract in question. The acquiring team will understandably try to price that downside into the prospect return, making it difficult for the two parties to align.

On top of the difficulties surrounding Bregman’s salary and opt-out provision, he’s also been away from the field for more than a month. The Red Sox placed Bregman on the 10-day injured list with a strained quadriceps back on May 24. It was clear at the time that he was facing a lengthy absence. Bregman is inching closer to a return and could be back prior to the All-Star break, but an injury absence of nearly two months and a return only about two weeks prior to the trade deadline creates some risk (to say nothing of the potential for Bregman to struggle upon his return, which would only raise further questions).

Prior to his injury, Bregman was enjoying one of the finest starts of his entire career. He’s played 51 games and taken 226 plate appearances, turning in a stout .299/.385/.553 batting line with 11 homers and 17 doubles. His 9.7% walk rate is up three percentage points over last year’s career-low mark. Bregman was also striking out at a career-high 18.6% rate, but that’s still several points shy of league-average and the uptick in swing-and-miss was accompanied by major gains in batted-ball quality. The 31-year-old’s 92 mph average exit velocity is vastly higher than the 88.8 mph career mark he carried into the season. Ditto his 10.3% barrel rate (career 5.7% prior to ’25) and 48.1% hard-hit rate (career 37.7% prior to ’25).

Bregman is signed through 2027 on a three-year, $120MM contract. Deferrals bring the present-day annual value down closer to a reported $29MM. He can opt out of the contract both at the end of the current season and after the 2026 season but has spoken openly about his interest in signing a long-term extension that’d keep him in Boston more permanently. That’s not exactly a surprise for a player who entered last offseason seeking a long-term deal worth $200MM or more and wound up pivoting to an opt-out-laden, short-term deal with a lofty AAV once that long-term pact didn’t materialize, however.

Ultimately, while it’s fun to dream on the notion of a major trade involving someone of Bregman’s caliber, the specifics surrounding his contract and health — to say nothing of Boston’s uncertain buy/sell status four weeks out from the deadline — render it more a theoretical discussion than a genuine possibility at this stage.

The Mariners entered the 2025 season with a $146MM payroll — third-highest in franchise history. They’ve already added to that ledger with a surprising May claim of outfielder Leody Taveras, which didn’t pan out as hoped. That claim already showed a willingness from ownership to spend a bit more, however, and it bears mentioning that M’s ownership also green-lit payroll hikes for both the 2024 acquisition of Randy Arozarena and the 2022 acquisition of Luis Castillo (as well as his subsequent extension).

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