MLB Trade Rumors: Joe Ryan Lands With Orioles in Huge Proposed Trade

The Baltimore Orioles are now 13-20, in last place in the AL East division. They were supposed to be a contender this year, but really did nothing to upgrade their starting pitching in the offseason after losing their ace Corbin Burnes to free agency.

No, the signings of the ageing and highly ineffective Kyle Gibson and Charlie Morton do not count as "upgrades." And so the O's sit with the second-worst ERA in all of baseball, 29th, at 5.43. A trade for a high-end starting pitcher is imperative if they are to have any chance at all to get back into the race.

Former 17-year MLB GM Jim Bowden has written that he thinks Baltimore could address that problem, at least partly, with the following big trade:

Baltimore Orioles receive:

RHP Joe Ryan

Minnesota Twins receive:

LHP Cade Povich
1B Coby Mayo
RHP Michael Forret

Ryan is off to a tremendous start to the 2025 season, with a 2.93 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a spectacular 47:5 strikeout to walk ratio in 40 innings. He would be a huge boost to the Orioles' rotation. An added bonus is that he is under team control through 2027.

For the Twins, they'd get a reunion with their own former prospect, Povich, a 25-year-old lefty who, while struggling in the big leagues this year, "should develop into a solid mid-rotation starter," says Bowden. And he won’t even be arbitration-eligible until 2028.

Mayo, the big corner man with huge power, is the Orioles' No. 2 prospect, and No. 12 in all of baseball. He was just recently recalled to the big leagues by Baltimore.

Forret is the O's No. 8 prospect, and pitching at High-A this season, has a 1.66 ERA over five outings with 29 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.

The Orioles will need to start dealing some of their high-end prospects if they hope to really make a move to stay competitive in the tough AL East. This trade, put together by a former MLB GM of 17 years, might make a lot of sense.