With the MLB trade deadline in the books, perhaps the biggest and most surprising move took place in Baltimore.
In a shocking move on Monday, the Baltimore Orioles traded catcher Adley Rutschman along with fellow backstop Jake Rogers to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a plethora of prospects.
It was certainly a surprising trade given the Orioles entered this season with high expectations following the offseason signing of Pete Alonso. While Baltimore is still only a game out of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League, they're in fourth place in the ultra-competitive AL East at 56-59.
With Rutschman's tenure with the Orioles now over, more changes could be coming to Baltimore, according to this MLB Insider.
During an appearance on the Just Baseball podcast, Buster Olney of ESPN shared that it is very unlikely the Orioles re-sign shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
"This is just the beginning of this...Adley gets traded. Gunnar Henderson is represented by Scott Boras. He's not going to re-sign there, in all likelihood," Olney said.
Henderson, just like Rutschman, is a homegrown talent and has a lot of promise. After making the All-Star Game in just his second full season in the big-leagues during the 2024 campaign, injuries and inconsistencies have derailed the 25-year-old's last couple of seasons.
Despite slugging 18 home runs and driving in 47 RBI in 114 games this season, Henderson is slashing just .218/.297/.393 with an OPS of .690, all career-worsts.
And as Olney alluded to, Henderson is represented by super agent Scott Boras, meaning that he is likely to wait until he becomes a free agent to sign a new deal. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2028 season.
Even though the Orioles have not publicly addressed Henderson's future, trading Rutschman could be a sign that more moves in Baltimore could be coming, especially if the Orioles continue to underperform.
If the O's miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, things could look a lot different for them in 2027 and beyond.
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