The Baltimore Orioles have an overflow of infielders, most of whom are great ballplayers. Specifically, they have one veteran, who must be traded soon. Ramón Urías, 30, has been with the Orioles since 2020, becoming an everyday starter in 2022. Urías won a Gold Glove playing third base. He carried the starting title until the end of the 2023 season. However, Urías lost his role due to the emergence of many different prospects, specifically Jordan Westburg, who has taken the hot corner from Urías. At the start of the season, Urías had played sparingly, due to poor play and having many better options. His game has improved of late, and the Orioles should look to trade him before he cools off and loses value.
Ramón Urías Slow to Fast Start with the Orioles
Urías was hitting .174 for the first two months of the season. Multiple players overshadowed his struggles and inconsistent play. Every time Urías came up to hit, it seemed like he was lost at the plate. On top of that, when the Orioles called up Jackson Holliday, Urías did not play much, despite Holliday’s poor play. It’s becoming clear that Urías is not in the future plans of the Orioles. Yet, he remains on the active roster and even went a full week stretch where he did not play. It seemed imminent that something would have to change, otherwise, his tenure with the Orioles may be coming to an end.
Urías Turn Around Could Bring Up Trade Value
With all the cards stacked against him, Urías began to heat up in May. He hit a robust .318/.400/.500. It’s a small sample size, but it earned Urías more starts during the back half of May, and into June. Throughout this increase in starts, Urías has been on a heater. He has eight hits in his last 17 at-bats, with 2 home runs and 5 RBI. That includes a home run on his birthday, which is a fun achievement.
Last night, Ramón Urías became the first O’s player to homer on his birthday since Matt Wieters on May 21, 2016. https://t.co/hZAq8XADig
— Birdland Insider (@BirdlandInsider) June 4, 2024
Even though the Orioles called up Connor Norby, Urías remained in the lineup and stayed hot. In his small June sample size, Urías has a 2.114 OPS, which he won’t sustain, but he has shown a lot of improvement.
Will the Orioles Trade Urías?
Now is the perfect time to explore a trade. First, the Orioles don’t have the room for him and he’s being squeezed out of playing time, especially with all the talent on the roster. If they do go that route, the Orioles could dangle him as need pitching help. Baltimore’s pitching depth took a hit after losing two starters for the year and now Kyle Bradish is expected to miss his scheduled start. Urias is an ideal trade candidate for a team that needs infield depth and will provide him with more playing time. He has good tangibles that another team could potentially covet. That could net the Orioles the starter they need while allowing more prospects to have a chance.
Main Photo: © Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
