An American League scout listed his team’s primary needs at the trade deadline in a phone call yesterday, knowing that he could be sharing the list from most clubs. Relievers and a right-handed hitting outfielder were mentioned right away, which sounds the same as the Orioles.

The one difference, he assumed, was how his team appeared set with starting pitchers. The Orioles could try to land an upgrade and dismiss the notion that it’s already too crowded.

We joked that the Padres might be the only team with a bullpen surplus. But seriously, what are the Orioles going to do with their rotation?

I didn’t have an answer.

I also didn’t know until late last night that they’d trade Dean Kremer to the Twins.

Brandon Young had a rare stumble last night with four runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Shane Baz starts tonight and Kyle Bradish on Sunday. The Orioles are off Monday, with the trade deadline arriving at 6 p.m. Kremer was lined up for Tuesday and Trevor Rogers for Wednesday against the Angels at Camden Yards. But Monday’s off-day allows the Orioles to wait until Aug. 8 to plug in Kremer’s replacement.

The rotation forecast can change as quickly as the weather. Rogers also is a trade possibility whether the Orioles buy or sell because his contract runs out after the season. Kremer was optioned at the end of spring training and didn’t become less vulnerable after they recalled him. If he stayed, he might have made a return visit to the International League after surrendering 14 runs and 18 hits in his last two starts covering 10 innings.

Simple math verified that adding another starter without trading or sending down anyone gave the team six. And Chris Bassitt is on an injury rehab assignment with Norfolk. He allowed one run and one hit in 3 1/3 innings Wednesday against Worcester and will make one or two more starts.

“At this point in time, we expect to have him back pretty soon,” said president of baseball operations Mike Elias.

Fitting Bassitt when reinstated just got a lot easier.

Young, Bradish and Baz aren’t leaving. Those three are set in stone. And Elias doesn’t sound like he’s considering a relief role for Bassitt, though the veteran right-hander has filled it in the past.

“It’s certainly an option for both,” Elias said. “I think we’re planning on rotation. He got four ups in Norfolk, so we’re building him back up as a starter.

“We’ll see what the team looks like, but we’re planning toward him coming back as a starter. We haven’t had any discussions other than him coming back as a starter.”

*The Orioles showed reliever Yennier Cano on the video board last night and congratulated him on the new two-year contract extension with a club option for 2029. Cano stood up, raised his cap and smiled.

The deal came together quickly.

“It’s huge for me,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I’ve been here for about five years now. I have a lot of love for this city and this organization. Yesterday, when my agent called me, he asked me, ‘Do you want to stay in Baltimore?’ And I was like, ‘100%. I want to be here for sure.’ So yeah, super, super happy. 

“I wasn’t expecting it. My agent called me around 5, 6 p.m. yesterday, saying that the team reached out to him about this and, yeah, super happy to hear that.” 

Cano reflects on a journey that took him from Cuba to the U.S., minor league baseball to the Orioles in a 2022 deadline trade with the Twins, to an All-Star selection in 2023 and financial security.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s great,” he said. “It’s great for me, but I don’t think anyone is happier than my wife (Arianny). She’s been the one that’s been with me through it all. Leaving Cuba, when I was (detained) and having to make my way out to pursue a career and a life outside of Cuba. She’s been the one that’s been my foundation and my support. So I’m super happy for her, honestly, that we get to share this moment together and looking forward to the next two, three, five years in Baltimore – if not my whole career. I want to be here.” 

*First baseman Chris Davis, pitcher Storm Davis and former scout and executive Jim Russo will be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame later today.

Storm Davis made his major league debut in 1982 at age 20 and earned a World Series ring the following year. He went 61-43 with a 3.63 ERA in six seasons with the Orioles, appearing in 202 games and making 123 starts.

Teammate Mike Flanagan dubbed him “Cy Future,” while other teammates called him “Cy Clone” as a comparison to future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.

How’s that for raising expectations on a young pitcher?

“There was a lot of pressure looking back at it, but to call Jim a friend and to watch Jim work at the tail end of his career and to ask questions, Jim’s one of the reasons why I’m sitting in this chair today. The knowledge that he passed on to me, the mentorship that he showed me,” Davis said.

“Yes, there was a lot of pressure, the greatest pitcher in Orioles history. I used to remind him. He would say things to me sometimes and I’d say, ‘Hey Jim, time out.’ I’d say, ‘You know, you’re gonna go to the Hall of Fame someday. The rest of us are just mortals. You’re one of the best that’s ever pitched.’

“He just had a really unbelievable way of teaching, connecting, and even though there was pressure with it, it was an honor for me.”

*First baseman Pete Alonso began last night as the only major league player leading his team in hits, homers, doubles, RBIs and runs. He clubbed his 23rd homer in the first inning.

Only three Orioles finished a season ranking first in those categories: Miguel Tejada (2006), Tony Batista (2002) and Cal Ripken Jr. (1991).

*The bench is becoming a strength for the Orioles despite the injuries that have weakened the roster.

The Orioles rank first in pinch-hit RBIs with 25, including two last night from Christian Encarnacion-Strand that tied the game in the seventh. They began the day with two more than the Nationals. The Braves and Mets had 20.

The Phillies, meanwhile, have totaled only four. They were tied for fewest in the majors yesterday.

Encarnacion-Strand collected only his second career pinch-hit, the other a three-run homer on July 18, 2023 against the Giants.

Last night’s double off Orion Kerkering impressed Gunnar Henderson, who’s two-run triple broke the tie that Encarnacion-Strand created.

“That was an unbelievable at-bat coming off the bench off of one of their better relievers,” Henderson said.

“His at-bats have been great. Brings a lot of good energy. But especially coming up from Triple-A and immediately making an impact, that’s why they say it takes more than just the guys on the 26-man roster. It’s going to take 30, low 30s. Everybody that comes up is obviously going to play a part, and he has come up and been unbelievable and it has been really fun watching him and couldn’t be happier for him.”

*Here’s a leftover from Wednesday in Detroit:

The Orioles scored 10 runs despite having only one extra-base hit – Coby Mayo’s two-run, game-tying triple in the eighth inning. Weird, right?

It’s happened only four times in the last 50 seasons, including May 4, 2004 against the White Sox, April 25, 1999 against the Athletics, and July 21, 1995 in Kansas City.

The Dodgers are the only other team this season with one extra-base hit and 10 runs scored, on May 17 in Anaheim.