Is Baker trade the first indication the O's now are looking to 2026 over 2025?

The O's added the No. 37 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft

BALTIMORE - Entering the day 12.5 games out in the AL East and trailing six teams for the final AL wild-card spot and seven games behind that, the O’s today did something surprising.

Not in making a trade. But in which player they traded.

In dealing a player that was not on an expiring contract. Righty reliever Bryan Baker, who is not a pending free agent and had team control through 2028, was in the O’s plans for today, tomorrow and next year.

But now he’s headed to Tampa Bay as the O’s got one of the few draft picks that can be traded, a Competitive Balance Round A pick that is No. 37 overall added for Baker from the Rays.

An all AL East trade sends Baker to his third team in the division and now gives the Orioles four picks in the top 37 of Sunday’s draft and seven among the first 93.

They now have picks 19, 30, 31, 37, 58, 69 and 93.

The O’s and the Rays were tied for the most opening night picks coming on Sunday with six and now the O’s have seven and the Rays have five.

Is this the first of the club making selloff-type trades? Are the O’s now realizing that this is not their year and now focusing more on 2026?

“I think it’s a step in that direction. I mean, there’s no way around that,” O’s executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said today in the O’s dugout. “The timing of the draft and when you have draft picks involved in the trades kind of frontloads these decisions, and it’s earlier than my comfort level. But we thought it was a really good return and a good trade for everyone, so we did it.

“This team is playing much, much better since the beginning of the season, and I think we’ve been playing at a playoff clip for a while and the team’s looking more and more like it should and like itself, and I think they’re going to continue to play really well.

“We’re not relenting or taking our foot off the gas pedal. I think this team’s moving in a good direction out on the field, and we’re gonna have guys getting healthy and coming up to help the team. But right now this is the trade that we wanted to make, and sometimes this job, it’s a balancing act and you’ve got to do things that aren’t perfectly in one direction or another.”

Elias said the team was not and is not necessarily looking to trade players under team control beyond this season?

“It’s not an agenda-item to move any good players with multiple years of team control. I would view us as acting on a one-off opportunity. It’s not a player we were shopping or anything like that. The opportunity came and we had a deadline coming up with the draft. We thought it was a really good return and we said yes,” he told reporters.

“We’re sad to see Bryan go. This guy was a warrior and had some big, big moments. A lot of passion. I wish him very well going forward, but it’s a move that we felt like was in the best interest of the organization overall.”

Elias had a one-word answer when asked if the team is commitment to winning and not rebuilding next year?

“Yes,” he said.

Elias was asked what message this trade may send to his clubhouse or his fanbase?

“I think there’s a lot of transactions in this business and it’s not always linear,” Elias said. “And you look at Detroit last year, they basically traded away some major league players and their play continued to improve and they made the playoffs. This is a team that’s moving in the right direction and we still have a lot of time left before the deadline, but this was a trade with the draft coming up in a couple days that we had to make a decision on. Didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity.

“We’re hopeful we can use the pick wisely, bring a lot of value back, and Bryan’s going to a good place.”

This is obviously the type of trade the Orioles would not have anticipated making on Opening Day.

But Elias said that “this has been a very disappointing season and I do think we’ve got the operation moving in the right direction now. But there’s no hiding from the hole that we put ourselves in.

“Are we making a trade like this if our record is the reverse of what it is right now? Probably not. So, there’s no hiding from that.”

When asked if the club could potentially become buyers with a hot streak, he said, “It’s definitely possible. It’s mathematically possible. The games have to happen, and we’ll hope that we are.”

He acknowledged the team could be involved in what would be termed both buy and sell trades over the next few weeks.

“Anytime you are making trades or transactions it’s very possible that we get major league talent back or somebody we feel like is going to help in the very near term.

“We’re preparing for everything. It’s early. This trade happened early because of the draft pick. The full picture hasn’t revealed itself in terms of what all the teams are going to do and all the players that are going to be available, but our group is working on that,” said Elias.

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Now about those picks

The MLB Draft this year is a two-day deal with picks through the third round Sunday night and rounds four through 20 on Monday.

So the Orioles will make a whopping seven picks Sunday night.

Here are the picks and slot amounts to sign them.

No. 19 - $4,420,900

No. 30 - $3,113,300

No. 31 - $3,042,800

No. 37 - $2,631,400

No. 58 - $1,598,100

No. 69 - $1,223,800

No. 93 - $826,400

Under Elias, who had his first O’s draft in 2019. the Orioles have never had three of the first 31 picks or seven in the top 100. The most top 100 picks they previously had were five in 2022. They had four five times and now they have seven.

The O’s total draft pool is now a whopping $19,144,500, easily the most of any MLB team. The Mariners are next at $17.1 million or about $2 million behind the Orioles. The O’s pool is now a record for any team since the slotting system was installed in 2012.

In fact the O’s amount for just their top four picks of $13,208,400 exceeds the total pool amount for 21 teams.

Since clubs can exceed any slot amount but essentially have to take the overage dollars from another pick, the O’s have huge economic clout in this draft.

And Elias was asked today if they could use one of the top four picks on a pitcher?

“I think it’s very possible. When you have a lot of picks like this, it’s nice to have a diverse set of picks. But we definitely want to get some pitching in this draft,” he said.

Fans may have concerns that draft pick players won’t help the team for at least a year or two down the road - maybe more - and Baker could have helped the team this year and next. Elias was asked about that.

“Draft picks are opportunities to bring really good players into the organization. You draft them and develop them and that may take two or three years. You may trade them that winter and that can impact the team. I have no idea who we are taking with the 37^th overall pick, but we’ll bring a really good player into the organization that we wouldn’t have otherwise had. There are a number of ways to monetize, to gain extra value from a really good minor league player,” Elias said.