Adley Rutschman may have to keep a spare bag packed just in case.
The Baltimore Orioles are “certainly listening” to trade offers for their veteran catcher Rutschman, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Tuesday. Passan adds that Rutschman could potentially even be moved for some under-control arms instead of exclusively for a package of prospects.
Rutschman, 28, was Baltimore’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. After a down year in 2025, Rutschman has found his footing again this season.
Over 67 games this year, Rutschman is batting .251 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs to go along with his elite defensive metrics. That performance was good enough for Rutschman to make his third career All-Star team.
For Baltimore, they already have a replacement-in-waiting for Rutschman in the form of their 21-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo. Signed with the team on a pre-arbitration extension that runs through 2034, Basallo has already been getting meaningful playing time this season at DH and also at catcher whenever Rutschman needs a breather behind the plate.
Meanwhile, Rutschman has one more year of club control remaining before getting the chance to become a free agent after the 2027 season. At 49-52 on the year, the Orioles have had their fair share of tough breaks lately, and now it appears that they will consider cashing out on Rutschman to formally usher in the Basallo era.
