Every team goes through rough patches in Major League Baseball, but the Baltimore Orioles have raised some red flags with their performance thus far in July.
The Orioles are in first place in the American League East, so no one is close to hitting the panic button just yet. However, they are 1-4 in their last five series, including losses to the last-place Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins.
One obvious area of need for the Orioles is the bullpen, which has contributed more than its fair share of blowups during this current losing stretch. And according to one insider, Baltimore has a chance to add the biggest fish available to their bullpen pool.
Perhaps no reliever on the market is more highly coveted than the Miami Marlins' Tanner Scott, who has a sparkling 1.18 ERA in 44 games this season. And on Sunday, insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the Orioles are "in trade talks" for Scott with Miami.
But buyer beware: Bowden also believes that acquiring Tanner Scott will come at a steep price by typical trade value standards.
"The Angels did extremely well in the Carlos Estévez trade, acquiring two potential future major-league starters from the Phillies... I expect the Marlins to get a similar return for closer Tanner Scott," Bowden said.
Scott, 30, is likely the most talented reliever still available. In addition to his sparkling ERA, he has 53 strikeouts in 43.2 innings this season, with an active 17-appearance scoreless streak dating back to June 13.
An arm like that makes sense for just about any contender, but the Orioles could be the single team that would most benefit from acquiring Scott. They don't have many high-leverage lefties and may not be sold on Craig Kimbrel as their closer for the rest of the year.
If Mike Elias can swing a deal for Scott before the Tuesday deadline, it's doubtful any Orioles fans would find a reason to complain. But, as Bowden reports, competition is stiff, and whoever wins the sweepstakes will have to part with some extremely talented players.
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