While the MLB trade deadline still sits over the horizon, the chess game of front office strategy is already underway. For some teams, it’s about polishing a contender. For others, it might be time to hit the reset button. The Baltimore Orioles, a team many expected to soar in 2025, have stumbled out of the gate, and now find themselves staring at a mirror that reflects a 13-20 record and a rapidly fraying rotation.
Baltimore’s Broken Engine
If baseball teams were cars, the Orioles would be a sports coupe with a blown engine. Their offense shows flashes of high performance, but the pitching staff—the engine in this analogy—is sputtering. Currently lugging around the second-highest ERA in the league at 5.43, Baltimore simply can’t keep up in a division as relentless as the AL East.
A lineup can only do so much when games feel like shootouts. They need a fix, and not a patch job—something with horsepower and staying power. Enter Joe Ryan.
Minnesota’s Reset Button
Over in Minnesota, the Twins are dealing with their own malaise. A 15-20 record has them slouching in fourth place in the AL Central. Though not as widely criticized as the Orioles, their situation is equally murky. However, they may be in a unique position to pivot. Jim Bowden of The Athletic floated a trade proposal that could help both clubs find clarity.
The deal? Baltimore acquires right-hander Joe Ryan. In return, Minnesota gets slugging prospect Coby Mayo, along with left-hander Cade Povich and right-hander Michael Forret—two arms with control and upside.
Joe Ryan: The Right Kind of Problem Solver
Ryan isn’t just a band-aid for Baltimore’s rotation; he’s a stabilizer. With a 2.93 ERA over 40 innings this season, he’s been carving through lineups like a chef with a freshly sharpened knife. He boasts 47 strikeouts, just five walks, and a track record of steady improvement. Opposing batters are hitting under .190 against both his four-seam fastball and his sweeper, and he’s under team control through 2027—a crucial detail for a franchise wary of short-term rentals.
In a rotation full of question marks, Ryan is a bold-font answer. He could slot in immediately as the de facto ace and potentially change the entire dynamic of the Orioles’ season.
A Heavy Ask for a Heavy Arm
Still, Minnesota wouldn’t be sending Ryan away for peanuts. Coby Mayo is a big-time prospect with serious raw power, the kind of hitter who could light up the Twin Cities in the near future. But he will need seasoning. Povich and Forret, meanwhile, offer depth and long-term potential for a team thinking beyond 2025.
This trade would signal a strategic retreat for Minnesota—a white flag waved just as Royce Lewis, one of their brightest young talents, is making his return from a leg injury. Whether the Twins are ready to take that route is an open question.
But for the Orioles, the idea of getting Joe Ryan might be too perfect to pass up. And if Minnesota is ready to pivot, this trade could be a genuine win-win.