Orioles ‘spicy’ proposed blockbuster produces groundbreaking outfield star

The Baltimore Orioles have the potential to shake up Major League Baseball during this year’s trade deadline.

After years of losing seasons, the Orioles built their farm system to a level of stardom that may never be matched. Top prospect after top prospect has been promoted to the big leagues, but there is always more on the horizon.

Now, though, the Orioles have expectations. They entered Saturday’s game with a two-game lead atop the loaded American League East. After losing in the first round of the postseason a year ago, Baltimore is desperate to make a deep run in October.

To do that, they may have to give up some of that immense prospect capital. One area where the Orioles could improve at the deadline is center field, where Cedric Mullins has struggled all year. And a hypothetical trade proposed Saturday would turn the baseball world on its head.

Bleacher Report’s Steve Perrault discussed a hypothetical trade between the Orioles and the Chicago White Sox on a livestream. In the deal, the Orioles would acquire center fielder Luis Robert Jr. outright in exchange for No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Holliday.

“If we add a name like Luis Robert to the Orioles’ roster, I don’t think they’re going to be the favorite to go to the World Series, but they’re definitely going to be the favorite to go to the American League,” Perrault said.

There’s no denying that Robert has the talent to terrify the Orioles for the remainder of 2024. The reigning AL Silver Slugger has a .793 OPS with 11 home runs, even in an injury-shortened season that got off to a slow start.

But would the Orioles really part with Holliday, who has been one of the most highly touted prospects in recent Baltimore history, along with superstars Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson?

“You never know with prospects,” Perrault said of Holliday. “He might not be great.”

And here’s the real crux of the matter. Whether or not a deal like this is on the table for Robert, at some point the Orioles may have to decide if it’s worth keeping Holliday around for the future.

The Orioles have the best farm system in Major League Baseball. They could even afford to lose him if he turns out to be good-to-great,” Perrault said.

MLB history is full of cautionary tales of prospects traded for disappointing returns who went on to become superstars. But we never hear the flip side: deals that teams turned down to hold on to prospects that never quite panned out.

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