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By Zach Pressnell
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Baltimore Orioles came into the season with high expectations and postseason aspirations. But they've fallen short of these expectations, and it's leading many to believe the Orioles will be sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently put together a poll of MLB executives to find out what the industry believed was going to happen at the trade deadline. This group seemed to believe the Orioles would trade closer Felix Bautista this season.
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"The Orioles claim they're not going to sell and instead will try to buy pitching. However, their best play might be to trade Bautista for multiple young starting pitching prospects to quickly reboot for the 2026 season," Bowden wrote. "Bautista has tallied 16 saves with a 2.73 ERA over 30 appearances in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He's struck out 43 in 29 2/3 innings. He is under team control through 2027, which increases his trade value significantly."
If the Orioles decide to shop Bautista this season, the two teams that stick out as potential landing spots are the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs are seemingly all in to win right now, and they don't have a star closer on the roster. Acquiring Bautista would fill that void for the next few seasons with one of the league's best relievers.
The Dodgers are the more realistic landing spot. They have big league-ready prospects like Bobby Miller and James Outman to use in a potential trade, as well as other top options in the farm system. It wouldn't be surprising to see Los Angeles trying to swing a blockbuster deal ahead of the trade deadline.
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