MLB Trade: Orioles & Guardians Pull Off 1-for-1 Deal

The season is only three days old, but we already have our first trade of the campaign. Granted, it's not going to change the course of the 2026 season in any way, but it's a deal nonetheless.

The Cleveland Guardians sent outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez, who they designated for assignment this past week, to the Baltimore Orioles for 24-year-old reliever Carter Rustad.

The Guardians acquired reliever Carter Rustad from the Orioles for outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez, who was DFA’d on Wednesday.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) March 29, 2026

The O's immediately optioned Rodriguez to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

The 26-year-old right fielder got into 10 Grapefruit League games for the Guardians this spring, and batted .273 with a .633 OPS with one RBI. He's played a total of 44 games with Cleveland over the last two seasons, with a .176 batting average, a .586 OPS and a couple of homers.

His performance at Triple-A over the past three years, however, has been much more impressive. He boasts a .301 average at that level, with a .925 OPS across 252 games. He has 193 RBIs and 56 homers in that span.

It remains to be seen whether Rodriguez can go from being the proverbial Quad-A player to a major leaguer.

As for Rustad, 24, he has yet to pitch in the majors, only entering the Orioles' system last year. He pitched as high as Double-A in 2025, where he posted a 4.74 ERA and a 9.9 strikeouts-per-nine mark. Overall, across three levels, he registered a 3.23 ERA through 53 minor league innings.

The lanky 6-foot-4 right-hander will likely begin the year at Double-A Akron with the RubberDucks.