The Baltimore Orioles were one of the busiest teams ahead of MLB’s trade deadline this year, looking to sell as many parts as possible.
Things haven’t gone according to plan on the field, with the Orioles having preseason expectations of being contenders in the American League. Their lack of success led to them being surprise sellers, a position general manager Mike Elias wasn’t expecting to be in, but one that he took full advantage of.
Baltimore was in need of an infusion of talent to their farm system, and that is exactly what occurred between the deadline and the MLB Draft.
As shared by Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles acquired 16 prospects at the deadline, which was the most for any team. When combined with the 21 players who were signed from their 2025 MLB Draft class, there isn’t a franchise in baseball that has added more young talent to its farm system than Baltimore.
The Orioles lead the majors in prospects acquired at the deadline (16) and players signed from this year’s MLB draft (21). A dramatic injection of talent into their farm system in a matter of weeks.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) July 31, 2025
Amongst that talent, there are a few players who stand out, in the opinion of Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required).
In a recent piece handing out grades for every team’s performance during the deadline, the former MLB executive went over some of the prospects he liked the most from each of the sellers. For the Orioles, Bowden is keeping an eye on shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz (acquired from the Chicago Cubs for Andrew Kittredge), as well as right-handed pitcher Boston Bateman and shortstop Cobb Hightower (both acquired from the San Diego Padres for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano).
MLB trade deadline grades for all 30 teams: 5 A’s, 15 B’s, 7 C’s and 3 D’s https://t.co/yseKeNQ7mw
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) August 1, 2025
De La Cruz, 17, was signed to a $2.3 million bonus by the Cubs during the 2024-25 international signing period; it was the ninth-largest bonus handed out overall and the highest in franchise history. Acquiring him in exchange for a rental reliever in Kittredge is great work by Elias.
As for the O’Hearn and Laureano deal, the Orioles landed six prospects in exchange for the veteran duo. Of those six, Bateman and Hightower were the headliners.
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Bateman, 19, was a second-round pick in the 2024 Draft out of Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo, California. He has shown some impressive upside during his professional debut at Single-A Lake Elsinore, with 75 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched.
Hightower, 20, was selected in the third round of the 2024 Draft out of East Rowan High School in Salisbury, North Carolina. He has more than held his own thus far, also in Single-A, providing the Orioles with some high-upside youngsters to develop in their system.
