Some thoughts on Orioles offense, Santander's hot stretch and trade deadline rumors (McDermott in Miami)

The 2025 schedule is much kinder to the Orioles, in case you hadn’t perused it. Four days off in April, four in May, three in June, three in July along with the All-Star break, three in August and four in September.

They began the second half by winning two of three games in Texas and were off yesterday. Seems early after the break, but they won’t complain.

The offense remains hot and cold. The Orioles staggered into the break, scored a combined 17 runs in the first two games against the Rangers and were shut out Sunday for seven innings before Anthony Santander’s two-run shot.

Asked about the two-night outburst after the season was paused, co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte said, “I think it’s a chance for guys to take a little bit of breath, like realize how much success we’ve had in the first half. And the recent struggles that we had are a thing of the past and we can come back from that.”

The past tends to bleed into the present. The Orioles went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 Saturday and were 0-for-6 Sunday with seven left on base.

Some slumping players perked up over the weekend. Cedric Mullins singled and homered Saturday. Ryan O’Hearn doubled Friday and reached base five times Saturday, including an opposite-field home run. Jordan Westburg collected three hits Saturday, including a home run, and singled Sunday. Adley Rutschman homered Friday and doubled the next night. Ramón Urías had his first three-hit game Saturday since Sept. 6, 2023 but was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with neck stiffness. Colton Cowser went 4-for-11 with a double, home run and two walks at Globe Life Field.

“I think our goal is always the same, to hit the ball hard, hit the ball on the line, make consistent contact,” Borgschulte said. “Certain messaging for certain guys on what they’re working on can change from player to player, but the overall message of what we’re trying to do offensively … which the bottom line is scoring runs, and there’s a bunch of ways to do that. So just finding out the best way to do that for that day, that’s the goal.”

Santander doesn’t need much coaching these days. Just write his name in the lineup and get out of the way.

The All-Star outfielder hit 13 home runs in June and has five this month, including four in the last four games. His 27 homers ranked fifth in the majors before last night, one behind Gunnar Henderson and Marcell Ozuna.

“He’s been great,” Borgschulte said. “It’s been fun to watch that guy continue to progress throughout the season. One of the things he does so well is just that his preparation is amazing with his body and just with studying the pitcher and anticipating what he’s going to get and what the guy’s going to try to do to him. And he’s been doing a great job of that.”

Santander’s career high in homers is 33 in 2022. His current .831 OPS is the second-highest of his career, and his 136 OPS-plus is first. He’s approaching free agency in an advantageous position, and I don’t mean right field, where he seems to average one diving catch per game.

An agreement on an $11.7 million contract in January enabled Santander to avoid arbitration. He turns 30 in October and is in great shape. That bat from both sides of the plate is going to make him an attractive player on the market.

Will the Orioles consider re-signing him or just turn to their younger outfielders? The ones that remain after the deadline, of course.

It’s worth mentioning again that we don’t know whether Mullins and/or Austin Hays are back in 2025. That used to be a sure thing.

The Orioles could deal from their major league roster with the deadline only a week away. They could deal over the winter. They could non-tender. Who knows?

A wide net is cast in the search for pitching, and it isn’t just Tarik Scubal and Garrett Crochet, top starters who would require heavy dipping into the prospect pool.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that Orioles have “interest” in Reds pitching that includes Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez. I can add, via multiple sources, that the Reds were scouting Single-A Delmarva during a series in Lynchburg.

The Orioles and Reds have stayed in contact during the season. This isn’t a recent development. The two sides have been talking about Cincinnati’s pitching for a while and whether there’s a possible match, and that leads back to which prospects executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias is willing to surrender.

By “prospects,” I’m also including Heston Kjerstad even though he’s graduated from that status in MLB Pipeline rankings. Baseball America has him fourth.

Morosi also reported that the Tigers have scouted Triple-A Norfolk, whose roster includes top-five prospects Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Connor Norby.

Trust me, that guy wasn’t sitting alone. Every seller is memorizing Norfolk’s roster. And the Orioles aren’t dealing Holliday. His name can appear in every article and I still don’t see him moving from the organization.

How could he go from baseball’s No. 1 prospect and being untouchable over the winter to a chip in July? Because he went 2-for-34 barely past his 20^th birthday?

Get real.

Sure, you listen and ponder when you’re leading a front office. And then you steer the conversation away from him. This isn’t a one-prospect farm system.

Also, get ready for more rumors until the trade deadline arrives next Tuesday at 6 p.m. Starters and relievers are the targets. A deep run in the postseason could hinge on whether the pitching staff is upgraded.

The internal options can boost the lineup, but pitching must come from the outside. Otherwise, the Orioles are left to ride rookies like Cade Povich and maybe Chayce McDermott into late October.  

The Dodgers designated veteran left-hander James Paxton for assignment yesterday and he's been linked to the Orioles in past years.

Paxton made 18 starts with the Dodgers and registered a 4.43 ERA and 1.455 WHIP in 89 1/3 innings. His 48 walks lead the National League. But he had back-to-back starts in June with two runs and four hits allowed total in 13 innings, followed by five scoreless against the White Sox.

His next start came against the Giants and he allowed nine runs and 12 hits in four innings to increase his ERA from 3.39 to 4.28. He’s allowed eight runs this month in 13 2/3 innings.

This would be veteran depth with a roll of the dice that it might become more impactful, depending on which version of Paxton that you'd get.

* McDermott has joined the Orioles in Miami and is on the taxi squad.

Manager Brandon Hyde can explain the move later to the assembled media.

The Orioles haven't announced their starters for the last two games of the Marlins series. Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez could work on normal rest, with McDermott perhaps moved to the bullpen. Or McDermott could enter the rotation as a fifth starter.

McDermott, 25, would be making his major league debut. He has a 3.96 ERA and 1.429 WHIP in 20 games (19 starts) with Triple-A Norfolk and is averaging 5.3 walks and 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings.