Red Sox Rival Has Teams ‘Scratching Heads’ Before Trade Deadline: Buying Or Selling?

If Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is looking for a trade partner before the July 31 deadline, he might be able to call on the Baltimore Orioles. Unless he can’t.

“The Baltimore Orioles have scouts and executives scratching their heads wondering what they’ll do at the trade deadline,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Sunday. “They were nearly no-hit three times in five days, and then after losing 6-0, came back and scored 22 runs against the Rays.

“The Orioles (35-46) are seven games out of a wild-card berth, but they’re not ready to wave the white flag at the moment, believing they still can climb back into the race,” Nightengale added.

But wait, there’s more. Should the Orioles go into sell-mode, they potentially hold one of the most highly-sought arms on the market.

“Just when it looked like Orioles starter Charlie Morton’s career may be over at the age of 41, he is yielding a 2.90 ERA in his last six starts and could be a valuable trade chip if the Orioles are out of the race,” Nightengale reported.

Remember, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Friday that Morton “is emerging as a legitimate trade candidate.”

“The biggest concern for a team interested in acquiring Morton might be paying the balance of his $15 million salary,” Rosenthal added. “At the deadline, he still would be owed nearly $5 million.”

Morton is a two-time All-Star who won World Series titles with the Houston Astros in 2017 and the Atlanta Braves in 2021.