While the prospect of the Baltimore Orioles trading star catcher Adley Rutschman was a hot topic in September, chatter has died down significantly ever since both president of baseball operations Mike Elias and new manager Craig Albernaz have indicated how excited they are to have both Rutschman and Samuel Basallo on their roster for 2026.
The trade rumors around Rutschman were a byproduct of Basallo’s arrival in the big leagues after spending much of his minor league tenure at Baltimore’s top prospect. Given that both Basallo and Rutschman are primarily catchers, many around the league thought it made sense for the Orioles to put Rutschman (who has regressed offensively over the past two seasons) on the trading block so that the team could potentially fill other roster holes.
The most glaring roster holes for Baltimore right now are with the pitching staff. While the club could use more impactful bullpen pieces, Elias has gone on the record saying one of his top priorities is adding a frontline starter this winter, either via trade or through free agency.
Despite what he has said about keeping Rutschman, one would have to imagine that Elias would at least be willing to listen to trades involving him. And if he was given an offer he couldn’t refuse, why would he do so?
Orioles Get MacKenzie Gore in Adley Rutschman Trade Proposal
This line of thinking seems to be the basis of a trade proposal that Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com cooked up in a November 27 article that involved the Orioles, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Washington Nationals.
“Orioles get: LHP MacKenzie Gore, C Keibert Ruiz
“Phillies get: C Adley Rutschman
“Nats get: DH/OF Nick Castellanos, SS Aidan Miller (Phillies’ No. 2 prospect), 3B Carson DeMartini (Phillies’ No. 13 prospect), C Caden Bodine (Orioles’ No. 10 prospect),” Castrovince wrote.
He later added, “Here, the O’s get Gore, who is two seasons from free agency and coming off his first All-Star season. While his second half (6.75 ERA) was nowhere near as strong as his first (3.02), Gore is coming off his age-26 season, and his struggles really revolved around a brutal four-start stretch in late July/early August.”
“Given the cost of high-upside pitching, Gore is arguably worth more than Rutschman in a trade right now. So in this deal, the O’s take on the contract of Ruiz (owed $36.9M through 2030), who can share the catching duties with Basallo until the youngster is deemed ready for a more pronounced role,” Castrovince continued.
For what it’s worth, Castrovince deemed this trade proposal “ridiculous” and admitted it would likely never take place.
But the thought of Baltimore getting Gore to pair with Trevor Rogers is enough to make this hypothetical deal sound enticing, even if it means parting ways with Rutschman.Blockbuster Proposal Sends Adley Rutschman Away in Exchange for an Elite Southpaw Ace*
