The disappointing Baltimore Orioles have shipped out one of their top rental players. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano are headed to the San Diego Padres, reports the New York Post. Lefty Boston Bateman and infielder Brandon Buttenworth are among the prospects going to Baltimore in the trade, per The Athletic. Neither team has announced the trade.
O’Hearn, 31, was an All-Star this year thanks at least in part due to the Rafael Devers trade freeing up the DH spot in the American League. The left-handed hitter is a high-end platoon bat, with an OPS approaching .900 against righties. Against lefties though, his OPS is in the 600s, and Orioles frequently had O’Hearn on the bench against southpaws.
Acquired in a cash trade with the Kansas City Royals in January 2023, O’Hearn is a major player development win for the O’s. He was a .219/.293/.390 hitter in parts of five seasons with the Royals, comfortably below average for a corner bat, then the Orioles were able to retool his swing and get three very productive years from him. Now they traded him for value.
Laureano, meanwhile, is hitting .290/.355/.529 with 15 home runs in the best offensive season of his career. The 31-year-old is another success for the O’s hitting folks after he spent the last few years as a league average-ish platoon bat. O’Hearn is a rental. Laureano’s contract includes a team-friendly $6.5 million club option for 2026. That seems likely to get picked up.
The Padres badly needed lineup depth and acquired it in one trade. Entering play Thursday, San Diego ranked 25th in left field WAR and 27th in DH WAR. Laureano will be a sizeable upgrade in left both offensively and defensively, and getting O’Hearn to DH is one of the single biggest upgrades the Padres could have made this trade deadline.
As for the Orioles, this trade continues a sale that has also seen them ship out righties Bryan Baker (Tampa Bay Rays) and Andrew Kittredge (Chicago Cubs), outfielder Cedric Mullins and lefty Gregory Soto (New York Mets), and infielder Ramon Urías (Houston Astros). Starters Zach Eflin and Charlie Morton could still be moved as well.
Bateman, 19, was a second-round pick in last year’s draft. Baseball America ranked him the sixth best prospect in San Diego’s farm system in their midseason update. Their scouting report says “he projects as a potential No. 3 or 4 starter” long-term.
This is San Diego’s second notable deal of the day — they landed star closer Mason Miller in a trade with the Athletics. The Padres enter play Thursday in the third wild card spot at 60-49. The O’s are 50-59.
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