Orioles sent nearly $8.5 million to four teams as part deadline deals, source says

PHILADELPHIA — To assist in a trade-deadline sell-off that resulted in Baltimore netting 16 prospects, the Orioles included nearly $8.5 million in cash to four teams ahead of the trade deadline, a source with direct knowledge confirmed.

The cash helped facilitate the trades, assisting teams approaching the competitive balance tax threshold and, in some cases, improving the prospect capital in return, the source added. As the Associated Press first reported, the figures are as follow.

As part of the trade that sent outfielder Ramón Laureano and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn to the Padres, the Orioles included $3.3 million for San Diego. The deal sending right-hander Charlie Morton to Detroit featured about $2.7 million headed to the Tigers. The Toronto Blue Jays received $1.75 million as part of their trade acquisition of right-hander Seranthony Domínguez. And the Houston Astros received $520,000 as well as infielder Ramón Urías from the Orioles.

In return, the Orioles received several highly ranked prospects, such as left-hander Boston Bateman, right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown and infielder Cobb Hightower. They rank No. 6, No. 9 and No. 21 among the Orioles’ top-30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

After the deadline, general manager Mike Elias commended the ownership group, led by David Rubenstein, for allowing the Orioles to include cash as part of the trades.

“I want to thank and credit David and our ownership group for making that lever available to facilitate better talent returns,” Elias said on a video call. “Often times, especially nowadays, the teams on the buy side of these trades, they’re in the CBT space, so they’re paying luxury taxes, they’re giving up draft picks when they take on payroll, so it’s really important for them sometimes to get some financial help, and you’ve got to have owners who are able and willing to do that in order to participate.

“So I think that was very helpful in us being able to execute an effective sell deadline and I think that speaks to their ability and willingness to invest not just in the team and the payroll but in the organization,” Elias continued. “They really want to win; they’re disappointed with how this went. And we’re gonna get back in the saddle.”

Of the players dealt for prospects, right-hander Andrew Kittredge, Laureano and Urías were the only players remaining under team control after this season, so there wasn’t an astronomical financial burden on buying clubs. Morton signed this winter for $15 million; the Tigers will only owe him a fraction of that, and the money the Orioles included helps pay down part.

The Orioles started their sell-off on July 10 by dealing a player with three years of control remaining, right-handed reliever Bryan Baker, to the Tampa Bay Rays for the 37th overall selection in the draft.

They used that pick on prep outfielder Slater de Brun, whom they signed for an over-slot deal of $4 million, well over the slot value of $2.63 million.