The Orioles wouldn’t budge.

Talks with the Padres leading to the trade deadline took multiple shapes. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano could be dealt separately or packaged. Different prospects were discussed. The whole thing would have fallen apart if the Guardians accepted an offer for Steven Kwan.

To make it work for the Orioles, they had to get left-hander Boston Bateman. He was the potential deal-breaker.

I’ve heard that the Padres were reluctant to part with him. They tried other combinations to avoid losing their No. 4 prospect. The Orioles had to include Laureano, whose contract contains a $6.5 million option for next season. And they had to stay patient and stick to their demand.

The six minor leaguers who came to the Orioles are products of the 2024 draft – Bateman in the second round, infielder Cobb Hightower in the third, pitcher Tyson Neighbors in the fourth, shortstop Brandon Butterworth in the 12^th, pitcher Tanner Smith in the 15^th, and first baseman Victor Figueroa in the 18^th.

CHICAGO – The message from interim manager Tony Mansolino and the players remaining in the Orioles clubhouse is clear: Yes, the trade deadline may have shaken things up, but the goal of winning a baseball game each day remains the same. 

The Orioles, with their young core still in place, believe they still have the talent to do just that. The names on the lineup card, particularly in the middle, have changed a bit, and Mansolino will need to get creative with a bullpen missing many of its established arms. 

But as Mansolino said pregame, there’s no time for licking wounds. There’s baseball to be played out in Chicago. 

Trevor Rogers was more than up to the challenge. The O's offense, though, couldn't find a rhythm in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs.

The lefty tossed the first complete-game loss for the Orioles since Chris Tillman did it back in 2013. 

CHICAGO – The usual nametags weren’t anywhere to be found in the visitor’s clubhouse this afternoon. 

There’s no Cedric Mullins, who patrolled center field in Baltimore for parts of eight seasons. Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Urías won’t be digging into the infield dirt in Wrigley Field this weekend. The bullpen has about half of its normal arms. 

Things feel different. 

The Orioles’ farm got significantly better over the last month with an influx of talent from both the MLB Draft and trade deadline. That impact won’t be felt in the big leagues until those prospects either develop into major league talent themselves or are traded for established veterans. 

For now, the Orioles will be playing the rest of the 2025 season with a different cast of characters. It’s a good thing that Baltimore finds itself in “The Friendly Confines” with so many new faces. 

The 2025 trade deadline is over and the Orioles are left to play the final 53 games of their season with a roster that’s undergone a serious makeover and a room full of players who aren’t kidding about their intent to keep winning. 

Doing so just got a lot harder.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias did what he felt was necessary in trading away nine players and aiming mostly at the lower levels of the farm system with the returns. It wasn’t supposed to be this way in 2025, but the Orioles tried to spin a negative into something positive.

“As we saw yesterday, we had a very active trade deadline,” Elias said earlier today in a video call that lasted almost 27 minutes. “We were in a position to have to sell because of a very disappointing first half with this team. I’ve spoken about it. This is not how we envisioned this season going and it’s something that we’re taking a hard look in the mirror about, about how we got here. I think a lot of it was bad luck, but there’s also stuff that we need to improve on as an organization, and we’re going to do that. But this is a business where there’s a lot of competition and we fell short in the first half.

“I think the team has played really well lately and we’ve gotten healthier, and we’ve seen the style of play and some of the success that we were hoping for in the last few weeks on the field. But looking at our record, our front office and our entire operation made a decision to sell at the deadline, and I think in the context of that, we are very pleased with the talent that we’ve received in return. And I think along with our draft, this has been an enormous injection of talent into the Orioles organization over the month of July.”

CHICAGO – The trade deadline has come and gone, and what a busy day it was. 

For most of us, anyway. Kevin Brown and I were stuck in an airport vying for a plane to Chicago for about six hours. 

The Orioles were certainly busy, though, trading away Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano and Charlie Morton, adding to their previous deals sending Ramón Urías, Andrew Kittredge, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto and Bryan Baker out of town. 

On a lengthy edition of “The Bird’s Nest,” Annie Klaff and I broke down all of the deals in great detail. You can listen to the full episode here.

The biggest prospect returns came in the form of arms Boston Bateman and Juaron Watts-Brown, who joined the O’s top 30, according to MLB Pipeline, at spots six and nine, respectively. 

The Orioles filled the remaining openings on their roster this morning by selecting the contract of outfielder Jordyn Adams from Triple-A Norfolk and infielder Terrin Vavra from Double-A Chesapeake and recalling infielder Luis Vázquez from Norfolk.

The trio joins infielder Jeremiah Jackson and reliever Yaramil Hiraldo, who were recalled last night.

Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Ramón Laureano will be by their absences from today’s lineup against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Jordan Westburg has nine hits and seven runs scored over his last three games. He's likely the starting third baseman.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has registered a 1.49 ERA and 0.786 WHIP in eight starts.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled INF Luis Vázquez from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Selected the contract of OF Jordyn Adams from Double-A Chesapeake. He will wear No. 80.
• Selected the contract of INF Terrin Vavra Double-A Chesapeake. He will wear No. 54.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 35 players.

OK, so now what?

The Orioles traded center fielder Cedric Mullins to the Mets yesterday for three minor league relievers, first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano to the Padres for six players drafted last year, and starter Charlie Morton to the Tigers for a left-hander also drafted last year, after they made earlier moves with relievers Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge and infielder Ramón Urías. This isn’t an entirely new team, but it’s got a drastically different look heading into the weekend series against the Cubs.

The final count: Nine players traded and 17 received, including left-hander Dietrich Enns, who arrived for cash considerations and is expected in the visiting bullpen tonight at Wrigley Field. No one else among the newbies gets in without a ticket.

The bullpen is almost unrecognizable, and that perception is enhanced by Félix Bautista’s extended stay on the injured list. The inflammation in his right shoulder made an MRI inconclusive and it’s going to take a few more weeks to get a reading.

Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin should hold hands.

The Orioles had six openings on their 26-man roster after today’s flurry of trades at the deadline. They narrowed it to five with one last transaction.

Left-hander Dietrich Enns was acquired from the Tigers for cash considerations, another move that apparently came just under the wire.

Enns, 34, made seven appearances with the Tigers this season, including a pair of starts, and allowed 11 earned runs and 12 total with 23 hits, four walks and 15 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings. The two starts came on June 26 and July 3, his first appearances with Detroit, and he had mixed results – five scoreless innings with one hit allowed against the Athletics and seven earned runs (eight total) and eight hits in four innings in D.C.

Four of his five relief appearances were scoreless. The exception came on July 24 against the Blue Jays, with four runs allowed in 1 1/3.

Enns made 14 starts with Triple-A Toledo this year and registered a 2.89 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He walked 15 batters, struck out 71 and surrendered only four home runs.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Yaramil Hiraldo from Double-A Chesapeake.
• Recalled INF Jeremiah Jackson from Triple-A Norfolk.
• C Jacob Stallings elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 33 players.

The Orioles tonight announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher DIETRICH ENNS from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.

Enns, 34, is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA (11 ER/17.2 IP) with 23 hits (2 HR), 12 total runs, four walks, and 15 strikeouts in seven appearances (2 GS) with Detroit after having his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo on June 26. In 14 starts with the Mud Hens this season, he went 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA (20 ER/62.1 IP). The Frankfort, Ill. native spent the previous three years overseas in Japan (2022-23) and Korea (2024). He’s appeared in 18 career major league games (3 GS) over parts of three years with the Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Minnesota Twins. He was originally selected in the 19^th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees out of Central Michigan University. The Twins acquired him, along with right-handed pitcher Zack Littell, in exchange for left-hander Jaime García on July 30, 2017.

The Orioles tonight announced that they have acquired minor league left-handed pitcher MICAH ASHMAN from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher CHARLIE MORTON and cash considerations.

Ashman, 22, is 4-3 with four saves and a 1.49 ERA (7 ER/42.1 IP) with 24 hits, 12 total runs, nine walks, one hit batter, and 50 strikeouts in 30 relief appearances between Double-A Erie and High-A West Michigan. He went 4-3 with a 1.60 ERA (7 ER/39.1 IP) in 28 games with the Whitecaps prior to his July 22 promotion to the SeaWolves. The Salt Lake City, Utah native made his professional debut last season, appearing in five games for Single-A Lakeland after being selected in the 11^th round of the 2024 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Utah.

Morton, 41, made 23 appearances (17 GS) for the Orioles, going 7-8 with a 5.42 ERA (61 ER/101.1 IP). He signed a one-year major league contract for the 2025 season with Baltimore on January 3, 2025. 

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league left-handed pitcher BOSTON BATEMAN, minor league right-handed pitchers TYSON NEIGHBORS and TANNER SMITH, minor league infielders BRANDON BUTTERWORTH and COBB HIGHTOWER, and minor league infielder/outfielder VICTOR FIGUEROA from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder RAMÓN LAUREANO, infielder/outfielder RYAN O’HEARN, and cash considerations.

Bateman, 19, is 5-5 with a 4.08 ERA (31 ER/68.1 IP) with 65 hits (1 HR), 34 total runs, 25 walks, three hit batters, and 75 strikeouts in 15 starts for Single-A Elsinore, making his professional debut. The Henderson, Nev. native was originally selected in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Adolfo Camarillo High School (CA). He is currently ranked as the No. 4 Padres prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 by Baseball America.

Neighbors, 22, is 3-0 with six saves and a 1.85 ERA (9 ER/43.2 IP) with 23 hits (4 HR), 10 total runs, 18 walks, four hit batters, and 64 strikeouts in 32 appearances between Double-A San Antonio and High-A Fort Wayne this season. The Sulphur Springs, Texas native was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Kansas State University. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 Padres prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 20 by Baseball America.

Smith, 22, is 1-3 with a 3.46 ERA (10 ER/26.0 IP) with 27 hits, 18 total runs, 14 walks, one hit batter, and 34 strikeouts in 17 games (2 GS) between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Rookie-level ACL Padres this season, his first professional game action. The Duxbury, Mass. native was originally selected in the 15^th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Harvard University (MA).

Butterworth, 22, is hitting .267/.327/.455 (91-for-341) with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, 61 runs scored, 46 RBI, 26 walks, and 13 stolen bases in 89 games with High-A Fort Wayne this season. He is tied for the Midwest League lead in triples, while his 155 total bases rank third in the league. The Charlotte, N.C. native was originally selected in the 12^th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of North Carolina State University.

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 12^th-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.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league right-handed pitchers RAIMON GOMEZ, CHANDLER MARSH, and ANTHONY NUNEZ from the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder CEDRIC MULLINS.

Gomez, 23, is 5-5 with two saves and a 4.63 ERA (18 ER/35.0 IP) with 22 hits (3 HR), 26 total runs, 25 walks, five hit batters, and 48 strikeouts in 27 appearances (3 GS) between High-A Brooklyn and Single-A St. Lucie this season. In a game on April 26 vs. Dayton, he recorded a strikeout on a 104.5 mph pitch, the fastest pitch by any thrown in a ballpark equipped with Statcast technology in 2025. Among all minor leaguers who have thrown a pitch in a Statcast ballpark this year, he has the eight fastest pitches thrown, all above 103.4 mph. The Barcelona, Venezuela native originally signed as an international free agent on August 9, 2021. He is currently ranked as the No. 22 Mets prospect by Baseball America and No. 30 by MLB Pipeline.

Marsh, 22, is 4-1 with three saves and a 2.57 ERA (12 ER/42.0 IP) with 19 hits (1 HR), 17 walks, three hit batters, and 52 strikeouts in 33 appearances between High-A Brooklyn and Single-A St. Lucie. His .133 opponent batting average ranks fifth in the minors (min. 40.0 IP). The Greensboro, N.C. native made his professional debut last season after signing as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Georgia on July 22, 2024.

Nunez, 24, is 2-1 with five saves and a 1.58 ERA (7 ER/40.0 IP) and 15 hits, 17 walks, one hit batter, and 60 strikeouts in 32 appearances between Double-A Binghamton and High-A Brooklyn this season. Among minor leaguers with at least 40.0 innings this season, his .119 opponent batting average ranks third, his 40.0 percent strikeout rate is seventh, while his 0.80 WHIP ranks ninth. The Miami, Fla. native was originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the 29^th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Miami Springs High School (FL) as an infielder but was released in 2021, qualified for amateur deregulation, and was eligible to play at the NCAA Division 2 level, enrolling at the University of Tampa (FL) in 2022. He became a two-way player in 2024 and was later signed as a minor league free agent by the Mets on June 14, 2024. Nunez is currently ranked as the No. 14 Mets prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 27 by Baseball America.

Mullins, 30, hit .229/.305/.433 (72-for-314) with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 42 runs scored, 49 RBI, 34 walks, and 14 steals in 91 games this season. The eight-year veteran was named to his first career All-Star Game in 2021 and won an American League Silver Slugger Award that season, earning Most Valuable Oriole after becoming the first player in team history (since 1954) to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. Originally selected by Baltimore in the 13^th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Campbell University (NC), the Greensboro, N.C. native’s 139 career steals rank seventh in Orioles history.

The only 30-home run, 30-steal Oriole in franchise history will be playing for another team. The deadline got him, too.

Cedric Mullins has been traded today to the Mets in exchange for minor leaguers Raimon Gómez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh, a source confirmed.

Gómez, 23, is a Venezuelan native who has a combined 4.63 ERA and is averaging 6.4 walks and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings at two Single-A levels. He reportedly hit 104.5 mph earlier this season with his 80-grade fastball. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Mets' No. 30 prospect.

Nunez, 24, was the Padres’ 29^th-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Miami Springs High School in Miami who enrolled at the University of Tampa after playing two professional seasons as an infielder and being released. He converted to pitching and was the Mets’ No. 14 prospect this year while posting a combined 1.58 ERA and 0.800 WHIP between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. He’s walked 17 and struck out 60 in 40 innings.

Marsh, 22, is a 6-foot-4, 245-pound right-hander with a combined 2.57 ERA and 0.857 WHIP in 33 games at two Single-A levels. He’s walked 17 and struck out 52 in 42 innings.

Zach Eflin is headed to the injured list again before possibly going to another organization in a trade.

The Orioles put Eflin on the 15-day IL today with lower back discomfort, retroactive to yesterday. They recalled Brandon Young from Double-A Chesapeake.

Young is eligible to return because he’s replacing an injured player.

Eflin went on the IL in April with a mild lat strain and again in June with the lower back strain. He’s made 14 starts and posted a 5.93 ERA and 1.416 WHIP in 71 1/3 innings.

Eflin faced the Blue Jays on Monday and allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. He held the Guardians to two runs and two hits in five innings after his reinstatement.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Brandon Young from Double-A Chesapeake.
• Placed RHP Zach Eflin (low back discomfort) on the 15-day Injured List, retroactive to July 29.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired shortstop WILFRI DE LA CRUZ from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher ANDREW KITTREDGE.

De La Cruz, 17, hit .262/.442/.417 (22-for-84) with nine doubles, two triples, 18 runs, nine RBI, 26 walks, and nine stolen bases in his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Cubs Red. Signed by the Cubs as an international free agent on January 15, 2025, the San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic native is ranked the Cubs No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 20 by Baseball America. He was rated the No. 10 prospect by Baseball America and No. 13 by MLB Pipeline for the 2025 international signing class.

Kittredge, 35, went 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA (12 ER/31.1 IP) in 31 appearances after beginning the season on the 15-day Injured List (left knee debridement). He signed a one-year major league contract with the Orioles for the 2025 season with a club option for 2026 on January 13, 2025.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league right-handed pitcher TWINE PALMER from the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder RAMÓN URÍAS and cash considerations.

Palmer, 20, went 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA (10 ER/42.1 IP) on 26 hits, 14 total runs allowed, 22 walks, two hit batters, and 44 strikeouts in 13 appearances (8 GS) with Single-A Fayetteville. The McAlester, Okla. native made his professional debut with the Woodpeckers last season, and pitched in two games after being selected by Houston in the 19^th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Connors State College (OK).

Urías, 31, hit .248/.300/.388 (64-for-258) with 12 doubles, eight home runs, 27 runs, 34 RBI, and 21 walks in 77 games with the Orioles this season. He made his MLB debut with Baltimore in 2020 and went on to play 506 games with the club, batting .259/.324/.404 (410-for-1580) with 76 doubles, six triples, 47 home runs, 197 runs scored, 205 RBI, and 131 walks. In 2022, he won the American League Gold Glove Award at third base to become the third Oriole in team history to do so, joining National Baseball Hall of Famer and Orioles legend BROOKS ROBINSON (16x) and MANNY MACHADO (2x).