The time for the Baltimore Orioles to make a trade for a starting pitcher is now, it was this past offseason too, but that's a different story. The time to make that trade with Heston Kjerstad being the cornerstone of the deal, well that time may have passed, says MLB analyst Keith Law.
"If [the Orioles] were trying to package something to go get a starter, which is what they really needed to do this winter, you probably can't headline a deal with [Kjerstad], said Law on The Vinny & Haynie Show. "Whereas maybe you could have a year earlier, maybe you could. But I don't think Kjerstad has that kind of value, just from talking to other front offices as I was doing my prospect ranking.”
Kjerstad, who turned 26 earlier in February, took the field in 2023 and 2024 amassing 146 big-league plate appearances. After 1,000-plus times to the plate in the minors with a batting average north of .300, what's kept him from more time with the Orioles?
" I think Kjerstad has lost a lot of value at this point," Law said. "I don't love the way that they've handled those guys. I can't believe Ryan Mountcastle is still on this roster. I was a little surprised they picked up Ryan O'Hearn's option. O'Hearn's a great player. He's very much worth the money. He's worth a lot more than he's getting paid. They just don't have room for him. And they have guys, [Coby] Mayo and Kjerstad in particular, who need that playing time."
There is a surpluss of outfield depth on the Baltimore roster currently. What could the Orioles do if they decided to move some of their valued pieces via trade?
"Mayo is young enough," Law said. "I still think he's got pretty significant trade value if they wanted to do something there. But Kjerstad, because he's older, obviously he needs a ton of time with COVID and biocarditis as a result of that, not his fault. But he has set back his development timetable. Between that and the way [Baltimore] kind of jerked him up and down a bit, not giving him consistent playing time in the majors, I do think he's taken a hit."