-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
The inevitable for first baseman Ryan O’Hearn became reality today.
The Orioles traded O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano to the Padres, an industry source confirmed. Six players are believed to be coming back to the Orioles, with The Athletic reporting the inclusion of left-hander Boston Bateman and infielder Brandon Butterworth.
A summer that brought O’Hearn’s first All-Star appearance, as the designated hitter for the American League, is changing his life again. And Laureano lasted only a half-season after signing a $4 million deal with a $6.5 million option.
Bateman was the No. 4 prospect in San Diego’s system, according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, after his selection in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Adolfo Camarillo High School. He gets noticed for being 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, but also a 60-grade curveball and upper-90s fastball. He’s posted a 4.08 ERA and 1.317 WHIP in 15 starts in his first professional season, with 75 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.
Butterworth, 22, was a 12th-round pick last year out of North Carolina State. He’s hitting .267/.327/.455 with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 89 games with High-A Fort Wayne. He plays second and third base, but also has some experience in center field and left field.
O’Hearn wasn’t an instant hit with the Orioles. To become an established major leaguer was a grind, the usual way he operated.
They surrendered cash to get him from the Royals on Jan. 3, 2023, designated him for assignment two days later and outrighted him. His contract was selected in April and he appeared in 112 games, batting .289 with an .801 OPS, 14 home runs and a career-high 22 doubles and 60 RBIs.
O’Hearn became more of a regular in 2024, appearing in 142 games and slashing .264/.334/.427 with 21 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and 59 RBIs. He heads to the Padres with a .283/.374/.463 line in 94 games, with 15 doubles, a triple, 13 homers and 43 RBIs. He’s registered an .874 OPS against right-handers.
O’Hearn homered in his last game with the Orioles, who are losing their leader in walks (42), on-base percentage and OPS (.837).
They’re also losing a valued leader.
"He’s been huge," said center fielder Cedric Mullins, dealt earlier today to the Mets. "He’s been a big voice in the clubhouse. One of our DJs on the road, so he definitely brings a quality vibe to the clubhouse every single day. Yeah, he’s going to be missed, 100 percent."
Laureano appeared in 82 games, perhaps more than expected, and hit .290/.355/.529 with 17 doubles, 15 homers and 46 RBIs. He also led the club with seven outfield assists.
The two leading candidates for the Most Valuable Oriole honor lost their eligibility in one deal.
ESPN and FanSided first reported that O’Hearn and Laureano were going to the Padres.
Update: The other four players coming to the Orioles are infielder Cobb Hightower, infielder/outfielder Victor Figueroa and right-handers RHP Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith. Hightower was San Diego’s No. 6 prospect, Neighbors No. 12 and Figueroa No. 29.
Hightower, 20, was a third-round pick in 2024 out of East Rowan High School in North Carolina. He’s playing shortstop and batting .239/.363/.314 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run, 21 RBIs, 28 walks and 31 strikeouts in 40 games.
Neighbors, 22, was a fourth-round pick in 2024 from Kansas State. He’s made a combined 32 relief appearances with High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio and posted a 1.85 ERA and 0.939 WHIP with six saves and 64 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings. He has a 60-grade fastball, curveball and slider. His fastball touched 98 mph.
Figueroa, 21, is a left-handed hitter who was an 18th-round pick in 2024 out of Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers. He’s appeared in 64 games between the Arizona Complex League and Class A levels and hit .318 with a 1.008 OPS, 21 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.
He won the Florida College System Activities Association Triple Crown with a .421 average, 17 home runs and 79 RBIs and set the school single-season record with 88 hits before the Padres drafted him. He has 55-grade power.
Smith, 22, also is a product of the 2024 draft, with his selection in the 15th round out of Harvard University. He’s 6 foot 6 and 245 pounds.
Smith also has bounced from the ACL and Class A levels and posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.577 WHIP in 17 games (two starts). He’s averaged 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Update II: As it turns out, 41-year-old Charlie Morton was just passing through Baltimore on his way to his seventh team.
The Orioles traded Morton to the Tigers today, with the news breaking a few minutes past 6 p.m. They received left-hander Micah Ashman, yet another product of the 2024 draft.
Morton signed for $15 million in January and got off to a disastrous start, moving to the bullpen after his first five outings. He was 0-6 with a 9.45 ERA in seven games.
In his final start with the Orioles, Morton allowed three runs in six innings in a 16-4 win over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. Boos earlier in the season turned to cheers as he walked off the mound for the last time.
Morton posted a 2.88 ERA in five starts in June, and he allowed three earned runs or fewer in four of five starts this month. The key was regaining the feel for his curveball, one of the most effective pitches in baseball.
Overall, Morton registered a 5.42 ERA and 1.559 WHIP in 23 games (17 starts).
Ashman, 22, was selected in the 11th round out of the University of Utah. He's pitched in High-A and Double-A this season and posted a combined 1.49 ERA and 0.780 WHIP in 30 relief appearances. He's recorded four saves.
Ashman has walked nine and struck out 50 in 42 1/3 innings, only three above High-A.
ESPN was first with the Morton trade and MLB.com with Ashman.
