The Baltimore Orioles are expected to be one of the more active teams in the offseason. While additions are likely coming for Baltimore, they could wind up making a surprising subtraction.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Adley Rutschman, the Orioles’ starting All-Star catcher, has been drawing trade interest from around the NFL.
While trading him might seem like an unlikely outcome, it’s not an impossibility. There are a few key reasons why Baltimore has reason to move on from their star catcher this winter.
Why Orioles trading Adley Rutschman makes sense
“The teams getting the most calls and texts about catchers are the Orioles (on Adley Rutschman)…” Bowden writes.
The 27-year-old catcher is coming off a down 2025 season with the Orioles, where in 90 games, he had a career-low .220 batting average and .673 OPS.
After All-Star seasons in 2023 and 2024, Rutschman took a step back in 2025. Coinciding with this regression, the Orioles called up top prospect Samuel Basallo, and he impressed enough that the Orioles handed him a big contract.
Basallo signed an eight-year, $67 million extension through the 2034 season. Baltimore can hold onto Basallo for a long time at a reasonable price, while Rutschman is heading into his fifth MLB season.
