CHICAGO — After the MLB trade deadline passed, a group of replacement players began a chaotic journey to join the Baltimore Orioles. Their gear was dispatched from Bowie on a late-night flight that, due to a music festival clogging air traffic, had to detour through Milwaukee. They finally reached the team hotel in Chicago after 2 a.m. Friday.
Upon arrival, they collected their new Orioles equipment and introduced themselves to a depleted roster. For some, like Jeremiah Jackson, the day would end with an MLB debut. These were the reinforcements, summoned to fill the void after the team traded away nine players.
“Obviously the last 48 hours have been quite the whirlwind,” said Terrin Vavra, one of the new arrivals.
The six new faces in the clubhouse Friday morning underscored a dramatic collapse. How did a team fresh off back-to-back playoff appearances, boasting three former No. 1 prospects, last year’s American League Rookie of the Year runner-up, and an All-Star closer, fall so far, so fast?
The first signs of trouble emerged last winter. The Orioles made a competitive four-year, $180 million offer to ace Corbin Burnes, but he ultimately signed a larger deal to stay in Arizona. Instead of pivoting to another top-tier starter, general manager Mike Elias opted for quantity, signing veteran innings-eater Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, a 35-year-old MLB rookie from Japan. Elias was betting that Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin could fill the void, despite Rodriguez’s inexperience and Eflin’s history of injuries.
“We’re really excited about where the team’s at,” Elias said at the start of spring training. “I think we’re going to have a great season.”
That optimism began to crack in early March. Rodriguez felt “sluggish” after a spring start, an issue that initially seemed minor but has since evolved into a persistent elbow and lat problem. Four months later, his return this season is uncertain, and surgery is a possibility.
His was the first domino. In quick succession, 13 players landed on the injured list. Reliever Andrew Kittredge needed knee surgery. Outfielder Colton Cowser fractured his thumb during the first series. They were soon joined by Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sánchez, and Eflin. The sheer magnitude of the injuries was demoralizing.
“We weren’t winning like we wanted to win,” said reliever Keegan Akin. “It’s usually not a good thing when you are leading the league in injuries.”
Without its key contributors, the team crumbled. A 24-2 loss to the Reds marked the franchise’s worst defeat in 18 years. Losing streaks mounted in May, and morale plummeted. A team meeting led by manager Brandon Hyde, followed by a players-only session, failed to spark a turnaround.
On May 17, Elias made a drastic move, firing Hyde and bullpen coach Tim Cossins. With the Orioles at 15-28, third-base coach Tony Mansolino took over as interim manager. Under his leadership, the team has played to a winning 36-32 record, with Morton rediscovering his curveball and Trevor Rogers emerging as their best starter from Norfolk.
But the improvement came too late. In early June, veterans who knew they might be traded, like Ryan O’Hearn, implored the team to play better in hopes of staying together. The possibility of being sellers at the deadline, however, was becoming real.
On July 10, Elias traded reliever Bryan Baker to the Rays for a 2025 draft pick. “When Baker went, it was like, ‘OK, I think we’re going to start getting rid of some of these guys,’” Akin recalled. A subsequent 5-7 stretch, including a four-game skid where they were outscored 32-5, sealed their fate.
The sell-off accelerated. Gregory Soto was dealt to the Mets. Then, in the middle of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Seranthony Domínguez was traded to the opposing team, packing his bags and walking down the hall to his new clubhouse.
On Wednesday, O’Hearn hit a home run and Cedric Mullins robbed one in what they knew was likely their final game together. That night, Ramón Urías and Kittredge flew with the team to Chicago, only to be traded within 30 minutes of arriving at the hotel.
As Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline approached, players were glued to their phones, learning of trades on social media. By midafternoon, Mullins, a longtime staple in center field, was moved to the Mets. An hour later, O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano were sent to the Padres. Thirty minutes before the deadline, Morton’s deal to the Tigers was finalized.
“To see them go is disappointing,” a dejected Westburg said in Chicago.
On Friday morning, Mansolino gathered his coaches, giving them 24 hours to be sad and angry.
“I’m sad because Ramón Urías and Ryan O’Hearn and those guys that you build these tight bonds with [are gone], but I’m also really happy for them,” Mansolino said, noting their opportunity to join contenders.
Now, the focus is on navigating the rest of the season. While the top of the lineup remains largely intact, the bullpen is a patchwork of new faces. Mansolino acknowledged his pitching coaches will have to “coach their butts off” to make the unit viable. With the final two months of the season looking lost, the organization may turn to prospects like Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers for a glimpse of the future before turning its sights to a fresh start in 2026.
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