The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a trade that would send a package of prospects for starting pitcher Shane Baz.
The trade, first reported by ESPN, then confirmed by Baltimore, includes first-round 2025 outfield draft selection Slater de Brun. The Orioles also traded away catching draft pick Caden Bodine, right-handed pitcher Michael Forret, and outfielder Austin Overn. A 2026 Competitive Balance Round A Pick was also sent to Tampa Bay.
The acquisition of Baz marks the second major trade by Baltimore this offseason, following their one-for-one deal for outfielder Tyler Ward. It’s also the team’s second major move of the month after signing first baseman Pete Alonso on Dec. 10.
Baltimore had been looking to boost their pitching rotation following a disastrous 2025 campaign. Acquiring the 26-year-old marks the first major outside upgrade to their main staff.
We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/hJ9DUlaxcI
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) December 19, 2025
Shane Baz Has Injury History But Pitches Well When Healthy
Baz has a lengthy injury history, especially regarding his pitching elbow. He suffered two separate injuries to the elbow in 2022, then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. An oblique injury also delayed his 2024 season by two months.
2025 was the first full season he pitched since making his debut in 2021. Baz pitched to a 4.87 ERA over 31 starts with a 1.335 WHIP, alongside 26 home runs in 166.1 innings pitched. He struck out 176 batters and kept his walk rate to 3.5 per nine innings.
HOLY BLOCKBUSTER
Shane Baz is headed to Baltimore. Elite velocity. Filthy stuff. A prime bounce back candidate.
Getting out of the home run factory that is George M. Steinbrenner Field only raises the ceiling. Massive move for the O’s. https://t.co/X0baM2ptgM pic.twitter.com/ZXmg0JjFQ8
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) December 19, 2025
The 26-year-old holds one of the higher fastball velocities in the league at 97 mph. His chase and whiff rates remain healthy at 29% and 25%, respectively, along with a 47% groundball rate. The downside is that he does walk 9% of his batters, while batters do put the barrel on the ball often.
Baz struggled with his cutter in 2025, throwing a .337 batting average along with five home runs. He does hold an effective knuckle curve, striking out nearly half of his batters faced on the pitch. For a team that needs strikeouts, it’s a welcome addition.
Orioles Gave Up a Lot
Despite losing a lot of their pipeline talent to call-ups, the Orioles dug deep to acquire Shane Baz from Tampa Bay.
The headliner in the trade is de Brun, whom the Orioles not only selected this year but have not put in a minor-league game yet. Perfect Game had de Brun graded at a 10, along with being the third-highest outfielder in the draft. Scouting reports compared his style of play to Corbin Carroll and noted his speed on the basepaths.
Bodine, the team’s 1C pick, also got drafted this year and was sent to Tampa Bay. The 22-year-old is billed as a switch-hitter with a high ceiling for contact, but a lack of pop. There were concerns about his athleticism, per scouting reports, but he had decent framing skills.
Overn, the third piece in the trade, has a .254/.362/.772 lifetime slashline in the minors with 14 home runs in two years. Forret, who was in line to possibly be called up to the majors in 2026, pitched to a 1.58 ERA with 91 strikeouts over 71 innings in 2025.
Main Photo Credit: © Maya Carter/Asheville Citizen Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
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