The Baltimore Orioles are already busy ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline, but they might not be done yet.
To date, they have made two separate deals.
The first move sent outfielder Austin Hayes to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Serantony Dominguez and outfielder Cristian Pache, which wasn’t a huge move but added important depth.
Then they made a bigger move to acquire a piece of their starting rotation, acquiring Zach Eflin in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now they may be looking to make another big move to acquire another starting pitcher.
According to a report from Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Orioles are among the teams interested in acquiring Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.
“With that in mind, the question now shifts to which players the Cubs could trade. Right-hander Jameson Taillon has garnered a lot of attention in recent days. The Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles have all expressed interest in the 32-year-old, sources said.
Apparently, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been reported to be interested in acquiring Taillon for the past few days, but adding Baltimore to the mix for the first time is quite intriguing.
Taillon has been very solid for the Cubs this season, starting 17 games and going 7-5 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 3.7 strikeouts and 100.1 innings pitched.
Not only can Taillon help the Orioles make a run for the World Series this season, but he’s also under contract through the 2025 season, which would be a big plus for Baltimore.
Ending the trade deadline with two new starting pitchers in Eflin and Taillon would be a dream scenario, as starting pitching has been one of the Orioles’ biggest needs all season.
Offensively, they are dominant and can score big runs. The only question mark regarding their World Series hopes is pitching. Acquiring Taillon would fill a need in the starting rotation.
Another need that could be addressed is the bullpen, where a quality pitcher or two would be extremely valuable.
There will be plenty of rumors surrounding Baltimore over the next few days, the Orioles are far from done and Taillon is definitely a name to keep an eye on.