The Baltimore Orioles are just behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the title of ‘the best MLB team in 2024,’ but could they get even better at the trade deadline?

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden proposed a couple of blockbuster trades and one of them included a top Baltimore prospect.

This trade would see the Orioles send outfielder Heston Kjerstad to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for relievers Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith.

First off, why would Baltimore trade away their No. 4 prospect?

Well, they have a very crowded outfield in the majors and a couple of other bats waiting in the wings behind Kjerstad. As good as he could be, it might make sense to move him and get better elsewhere.

Their bullpen hasn’t been awful this season, but it might not hurt to bring in some arms that will inject some youth while also performing at a high level.

Gaddis, 26, has a 2.87 ERA through 15.2 innings of work in 2024 and is under team control through 2029. He has cut down on his walks while picking up his strikeouts this season.

His xERA and xFIP do suggest that he’s gotten a bit lucky, but even if he starts to regress closer to projections he’ll be a solid arm to keep around for a couple of years.

The real highlight of this trade for the Orioles would be 25-year-old Cade Smith. The rookie has been been very good so far with a 2.30 and 1.43 FIP through his first 16 appearances.

He set the Cleveland record for most striekouts in a debut of two innings or shorter as he fanned five Oakland batters in just two innings of work.

These would be two very promising arms to add to an already okay bullpen. You have to give up a top prospect in Kjerstad, but you have options behind him that make him a bit more expendable.