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 Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitchers Sean Paul Liñan and Eriq Swan from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Alex Call on Thursday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Liñan, 20, is Los Angeles’ №19 prospect, according to Baseball America and its №20 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com. He ranked third in the Dodgers’ system with 101 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched this season. He went 3–3 with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and a .186 opponents’ batting average in 18 games (14 starts) between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, High-A Great Lakes and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025 — his fourth professional season.

Liñan opened the season by striking out at least 10 batters in three of his first four outings. He went 2–1 with a 0.87 ERA (2 ER/20.2 IP), 40 strikeouts, four walks and a .116 opponents’ average (8-for-69) in those first four outings with Rancho Cucamonga on his way to being named California League Pitcher of the Month in April.

A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Liñan signed with Los Angeles as an international free agent on January 15, 2022. He has recorded 11.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, a 3.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.73 career ERA in 50 professional outings (25 starts). Liñan went 10–4 with a 4.39 ERA and 138 strikeouts in a combined 106.2 innings across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Swan, 23, is the Dodgers №16 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and №24 prospect according to Baseball America. He ranks seventh in the Dodgers Minor League system with 69.0 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 77 strikeouts this season. Overall, he is 4–3 with a 4.43 ERA and a .198 opponents’ average in 16 games (14 starts) for High-A Great Lakes this season.

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.

The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitchers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Kyle Finnegan on Thursday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Randall, 22, is Detroit’s No. 15 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and its No. 20 prospect, per Baseball America. He went 5-5 with a 3.92 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 17 starts between Single-A Lakeland and High-A West Michigan this season. He tossed 5.0 innings of one-hit, shutout ball with six strikeouts and zero walks in his High-A debut on July 27.

In seven starts dating to June 7, Randall went 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA (11 ER/35.2 IP) with 29 strikeouts against just eight walks. He struck out 15 batters and walked just two in four starts during the month of July (13.1 IP).

A third-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of San Diego, Randall appeared in two games with Single-A Lakeland following the draft, posting a 4.50 ERA (2 ER/4.0 IP) with two strikeouts and zero walks.

Sales, 22, went 4-3 with a 2.71 ERA, 63 strikeouts, 17 walks and a .236 opponents’ batting average in 16 games (15 starts) for Single-A Lakeland in his first professional season this year. Over his last seven starts, Sales fanned 38 batters, walked just eight and pitched to a 2.48 ERA (8 ER/29.0 IP).

The Nationals made only two more deals before this evening's trade deadline passed, sending Kyle Finnegan to the Tigers and Alex Call to the Dodgers, ultimately choosing to retain two veterans on expiring contracts and a host of players under club control headlined by MacKenzie Gore.

The 6 p.m. deadline passed with no last-minute moves, according to a club source. The Nats listened to offers for Gore and explored deals for Josh Bell and Paul DeJong but did not find any that met their demands.

Thus was interim general manager Mike DeBartolo more active on the days leading up to July 31 than he was on the actual deadline day. The Nationals dealt four veterans (Amed Rosario, Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia, Michael Soroka) set to become free agents over the last week. They then wrapped up the late-July feeding frenzy with two moves this afternoon. They received 10 prospects total in return, six of them pitchers.

"I feel excited about what we did the last few days, getting some really exciting young players to bolster our farm system," DeBartolo said. "At a high level, we were just looking at the roster, taking opportunities where whatever was in the long-term best interests of the Nationals, and getting as many young players as we could to get back to where we want to be next year and beyond."

The Nats traded Finnegan to the Tigers for two starting pitching prospects drafted last year, dealing their veteran closer to a contender after passing on comparable opportunities to do so the last two seasons. The trade sends the 33-year-old reliever to Detroit for right-handers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales.

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).

In 24 hours, the Orioles’ roster could look very different. 

The front office is realistic about where Baltimore finds itself in the standings. Despite a great homestand with incredible performances from the likes of Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn, the Orioles would have to leapfrog seven American League teams to make the playoffs. 

The reality of the situation wasn’t lost on the fans at Camden Yards, nor the players in the clubhouse, a few of which have already changed jerseys. 

Ahead of today’s deadline, the Orioles have already sent Gregory Soto to the Mets and Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays in exchange for some high-upside arms. 

In exchange for Soto, the O’s received RHP Wellington Aracena and RHP Cameron Foster from New York. Foster didn’t enter Baltimore’s top 30 according to MLB Pipeline, nor was he a top-30 prospect in the Mets system according to Baseball America. But Aracena is ranked by both outlets. 

It’s hard to imagine any trade deadline that approaches the Nationals’ 2021 trade deadline in terms of both volume and significant names. Over those wild 36 hours, former general manager Mike Rizzo made six deals involving eight veterans in exchange for 12 prospects, kickstarting an organizational rebuild that still continues to this day.

Mike DeBartolo probably won’t match his predecessor, but as Major League Baseball’s official deadline day arrives, the interim GM is already showing a willingness to be exceptionally active.

It began Saturday night when the Nationals dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees for minor leaguers Clayton Beeter and Browm Martinez. It continued Wednesday afternoon when they sent relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia together to the Angels for left-hander Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown. And it didn’t let up Wednesday night when (with the team still en route home from Houston to D.C.) Michael Soroka was traded to the Cubs for infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin (both top-15-ranked prospects in Chicago’s farm system).

All this before the actual deadline day, which figures to be plenty active in its own right.

DeBartolo has now dealt four of the team’s seven veterans on expiring contracts. He’s still got Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong on the docket before the 6 p.m. deadline.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino didn’t know yesterday morning whether certain players would make it through the series finale against the Blue Jays. Whether he’d hear from the front office, alerting him to a trade, or at least the possibility of one.

Former manager Brandon Hyde knew the drill during the rebuild period. Mansolino is getting his first experience with it.

“There’s always things kind of cooking with that,” he said. “For a couple days, we’ve gotten a phone call during the game, essentially like, ‘Hey, heads up in these scenarios.’ So I think that’s pretty normal this time of the year if you’re a team that’s kind of selling.”

Or full-in, without-question selling.

The Orioles aren’t straddling the fence. They traded relievers Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto and Seranthony Domínguez and infielder Ramón Urías and are receiving offers on numerous other players. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and center fielder Cedric Mullins are high on the list, with the Reds among the teams tracking Mullins. The Cubs are a possible match for Zach Eflin based on their interest level, but the Orioles also could move Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano.

The Washington Nationals acquired shortstop Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka on Wednesday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Cruz, 18, is Chicago’s No. 13 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and No. 17 prospect according to Baseball America. In his first professional season in 2025, he is hitting .270 with 10 doubles, six triples, two home runs, 21 RBI, 10 walks, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 48 games for the Arizona League Cubs.

Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, before moving to Florida for his final two years of high school, Cruz was selected by the Cubs in the third round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Miami Christian School (Fla.).

Franklin, 25, the Cubs No. 14 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, led the Cubs Minor League system in walks (63) and ranked in runs (2^nd, 61), triples (T3^rd, 4), on-base percentage (5^th, .393), doubles (5^th, 20), extra-base hits (T7^th, 32), OPS (7^th, .820), hits (7^th, 85), and slugging (8^th, .427) in 86 games for Triple-A Iowa this season. He also hit .265 with eight home runs, 41 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 61 runs scored in 2025.

The right-handed hitting Franklin ranks 10^th in all of Minor League Baseball over the last two seasons with 134 walks. He has hit .261 with 53 doubles, 10 triples, 26 home runs, 143 RBI, 208 walks, 63 stolen bases, and 208 runs scored in 307 career Minor League games over five seasons, while playing 122 games in center field, 79 games in right field and 74 games in left field.

The Orioles are willing to move more than expiring contracts at the deadline.

An industry source confirmed tonight that the Orioles are trading infielder Ramón Urías to the Astros.

Urías doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2026 season. He’s batting .248/.300/.388 with 12 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 77 games.

Urías has made 66 starts at third base, where he won a Gold Glove in 2022.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias swings a deal with his former organization, and he parts with a player claimed on waivers from the Cardinals on Feb. 11, 2020 – an under-the-radar move which turned out nicely for the Orioles.

The Nationals continued their sell-off this evening by sending right-hander Michael Soroka to the Cubs, a source confirmed to MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman.

In return, the Nats are getting 18-year-old infielder Ronny Cruz and 25-year-old outfielder Christian Franklin.

Soroka, signed to a one-year, $9 million contract in December, finishes his time with the Nats with a 3-8 record, 4.87 ERA, 1.131 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings over 16 starts.

Though his last start was his shortest with Washington both in terms of innings (3 ⅓) and pitches (74), he only surrendered two runs on four hits and no walks with four strikeouts. That helped make Soroka’s underlying numbers – 3.32 xERA and 4.12 FIP – more desirable than his traditional stats.

Soroka is also good in short spurts. Going back to his success as a reliever last year with the White Sox, he posted a 2.75 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in 16 appearances out of the bullpen. Through the first three innings this year, Soroka had a 3.00 ERA. The deeper in the game he got, the worse he got: In innings four through six, he had a 7.66 ERA.

HOUSTON – The Nationals’ final ballgame before the 2025 trade deadline offered a stark reminder why they’re in full-scale sell mode for the fifth straight year.

Despite the presence of their ace on the mound and an unaccomplished rookie starting for the opposition, the Nats were roughed up by the Astros during a 9-1 blowout loss that saw MacKenzie Gore’s recent struggles continue and interim manager Miguel Cairo get ejected for the first time.

Gore, whose name has emerged as a potential trade candidate – more so by contenders interested in acquiring an All-Star lefty with two-plus years of club control than by the Nationals themselves – this month, endured through his third consecutive shaky outing, this one bringing out some negative emotions from the 26-year-old.

Gore was charged with six runs in 5 1/3 innings, surrendering a pair of homers while also seeing his command go awry at times. He has now allowed 15 runs while walking 10 batters over his last 12 2/3 innings, during which time his ERA has jumped from 3.02 to 3.80.

Whether any potentially interested contenders view these recent struggles as reason to reduce their offers to interim general manager Mike DeBartolo in advance of Thursday night’s trade deadline remains to be seen. Either way, Gore unquestionably is now mired in the worst stretch of an otherwise fantastic season.

Ryan O’Hearn swung, stood and tossed his bat. He watched José Berríos’ fastball land on the flag court in right field, began to jog up the line and pointed at the dugout.

The significance of the moment wasn’t lost on anyone.

O’Hearn might have played his last game with the Orioles, who failed to complete their sweep today with a 9-8 loss to the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. The same goes for Cedric Mullins, who made another leaping catch at the fence to rob a home run and preserve the lead. Moments that fed the hopeless baseball romantics.

The trade deadline is approaching the 24-hour mark and both players are generating heat.

The entire team was getting hot with five wins in a row, but reliever Yennier Cano, tasked with holding a 5-4 lead, allowed five runs in the seventh inning. They answered with three in the bottom half but fell to 50-59.

HOUSTON – The Nationals traded two more veterans on one-year deals prior to today’s series finale against the Astros, sending relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García together to the Angels in exchange for two minor leaguers.

The trade, which was officially announced minutes before today’s game, sends two experienced bullpen arms acquired in-season to an Angels club trying to get into the American League wild card race and brings minor league left-hander Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown to the Nationals organization.

With roughly 28 hours to go until Thursday’s 6 p.m. Eastern trade deadline, interim general manager Mike DeBartolo is expected to be busy. He already dealt infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees following Saturday night’s game in Minnesota, and he’s still shopping three more veterans on expiring contracts in Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong. DeBartolo also appears willing to listen to offers for players who remain under club control beyond this season, including first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and staff ace MacKenzie Gore, who starts this afternoon against Houston.

Chafin and García both were mid-season pickups by the Nationals, who desperately needed bullpen help at the time. Chafin, 35, joined the club in early May and wound up posting a 2.70 ERA in 26 appearances facing mostly left-handed hitters. García, 38, just joined the club three weeks ago as DeBartolo’s first official acquisition after replacing longtime GM Mike Rizzo and immediately paid dividends with only one run allowed in 10 appearances.

Given their rental status, Chafin and García did not bring back a significant haul, but both Eder and Brown give the Nats young players who could ultimately develop into big leaguers.