Orioles quietly shopping bullpen pieces ahead of deadline

The Orioles are once again playing both sides of the deadline. Mike Elias has already flipped Gregory Soto to the Mets for prospects, and now MLB Trade Rumors is reporting Baltimore is open to moving a right-handed bullpen arm before the July 31 buzzer hits.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Orioles Open To Moving Righty Bullpen Arm t.co/K3h6jndzYU

The name drawing the most buzz is Yennier Cano. He's bounced back hard from a rough 2025, posting a 2.21 ERA over 36 2/3 innings this year with a 65% ground-ball rate that ranks second among relievers with at least 30 innings. He's cheap too, making just $1.6M and controllable through 2028, which makes him the kind of buy-low reliever that bullpen-needy contenders drool over at the deadline.

There are other arms in the mix. Tyler Wells has been filling in as the closer since Ryan Helsley's injury and has a 2.72 ERA across 53 innings, but the Orioles may see him as too valuable to move given the ninth-inning void. Rico Garcia, on the other hand, has been rough of late, allowing 8 homers since June with an ERA pushing 6.00 over his last 23 outings, which tanks his trade value. Andrew Kittredge, an impending free agent making $9M, rounds out the group as a straightforward rental.

This isn't a full teardown. Baltimore reportedly wants to pair any righty reliever they move out with a lefty coming back, since their left-handed relief group is one of the thinner ones in baseball. Names like Brent Suter, Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter have come up as potential targets on that side of the ledger.

It's the classic buy-and-sell deadline for a team that's been hovering around.500 and still figuring out its window. Cano getting moved would be the headline swap, a rebuilt reliever cashed in at peak value while the Orioles restock for whenever they decide to go all-in again. Expect the phones in Baltimore's front office to stay busy right up until the deadline.