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MLB rumors: Mets, Mariners labeled best trade fits for Orioles stars
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- MLB rumors: Mets, Mariners labeled best trade fits for Orioles stars
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The post MLB rumors: Mets, Mariners labeled best trade fits for Orioles stars appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Baltimore Orioles appear poised to be sellers at the trade deadline, and that's good news for contending teams.
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The O's won't trade away their young core , but they may be open to dealing sluggers like Cedric Mullins and Ryan O'Hearn. As ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote on Tuesday, there aren't many teams across baseball who wouldn't benefit from one or both of them.
In an early trade deadline preview, Passan matched Mullins with the New York Mets , who could stand to add another plus-hitting outfielder to play alongside Juan Soto.
"Mullins has been one of the Orioles ' lone bright spots this season, and as solid as Tyrone Taylor has been in center, Mullins' bat is significantly better and his glove, though admittedly lesser than Taylor's, is perfectly acceptable," Passan wrote. "Let Mullins bat for the first seven innings, put Taylor in for defensive purposes in the eighth and a Mets team with championship aspirations gets that much better."
The lefty Mullins is off to a solid start in 2025 with 10 home runs and a .771 OPS in 50 games.
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The Mariners could be a good fit for Ryan O'Hearn
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The Mariners' offense is vastly improved from the anemic lineup that kept them out of the playoffs last year. That doesn't mean they wouldn't benefit from another bat.
As Passan wrote, O'Hearn, who is hitting .329 with a 175 OPS+, could fill an obvious need in Seattle , slotting into first base.
"They're plenty willing to get creative, too, but O'Hearn is an excellent fit for a team that has gotten sub-replacement production from Rowdy Tellez and Donovan Solano at first," he explained. "If O'Hearn isn't the answer, the Mariners could turn to Naylor, who, like O'Hearn, is a low-strikeout, high-average power hitter."
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Passan took it a step further. If the Mariners add O'Hearn, he said, the club could be as potent offensively as it has been in decades.
"Seattle already looks the part of a dangerous October team — particularly if Logan Gilbert returns healthy and George Kirby and Bryce Miller shake off post-injury rust" he wrote. "And a lineup that starts J.P. Crawford , Julio Rodriguez , O'Hearn, Cal Raleigh , Randy Arozarena , Jorge Polanco is as good as Seattle has seen since the 2000s."
