MLB Rumors: AL East Rival Flaunts Intriguing Red Sox Trade Target

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If the Red Sox have any hopes of catching the New York Yankees in the American League East, Boston might need to turn to another division foe for help.

The Orioles are one of the most disappointing and frustrating clubs this year. A wild-card team last season, Baltimore was expected to contend for a division title in 2025. But instead, the Orioles sit in last place in the AL East, 11 games behind the first-place Yankees.

So if Baltimore decides to hold a fire sale before the July 31 trade deadline, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow could try to pluck an Oriole from the nest.

“If the Orioles sell, we could see Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn among those on the move, as all are slated to become free agents after the season,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote Monday.

The key name in this report, at least as far as the Red Sox are concerned, is O’Hearn. The 31-year-old slugger has 10 home runs and 29 RBI this season. If Boston wants to find a short-term upgrade at first following the season-ending knee injury to Triston Casas, O’Hearn could make the most sense.

O’Hearn currently is the leading vote-getter among American League designated hitters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. Of course, the Red Sox trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants cleared the way for O’Hearn’s climb up the ballot.

But that doesn’t take away from what the Orioles bat is doing on the field.

“O’Hearn has been very good at the plate since joining the O’s in 2023, but this year, he’s taking it to another level,” MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa wrote Monday.

O’Hearn is on pace this season to set a new career high in home runs. He slugged 15 for the Orioles in 2024. The left-handed bat also is hitting a career-best .305 this year.