There are likely no untouchables in trade talks

It was around Thanksgiving and it was a tweet that got a lot of attention around Birdland. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the Orioles were "dangling" lefty John Means in trade talks. Olney cited other teams, not the Orioles, as his source.

When a credible national reporter states such, it should get our attention. He does have great sources within the game. But I as wrote in this entry, I felt it was a matter more of the Orioles doing due diligence.

I pointed out that there must be numerous times through the year when big names come up in trade talks, as part of teams doing due diligence, that don't actually find a trade as the end result.

While pointing out we can't really know the thinking of the club's top decision-makers, the Orioles have Means under control for three more seasons. He will turn 29 in April.

He could be the exact guy to lead their young rotation from the depths back to contention. He also could be part of a trade the Orioles would hope nets results similar to those they saw following the Feb. 8, 2008 deal that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle for five players, including Adam Jones and Chris Tillman. They were key players for the Orioles during a five-year run that produced three playoff berths.

Means is most likely going to continue to be an Oriole, and as I also pointed out earlier, how many rumors have we heard about Trey Mancini deals in recent years? He's still here too.

The latest name out there as of speculation yesterday is center fielder Cedric Mullins. But this was not a report of trade talks, which, of course, cannot even take place right now, during the lockout. But an MLBTradeRumors.com article mentioned impact players that could be discussed when the lockout is over. The outlet pointed out this is a longshot candidate for a deal, and that part is probably very, very accurate.

During his 2021 season, the first 30-30 year in O's history, Mullins batted .291/.360/.518/ with 37 doubles, five triples, 30 homers, 30 steals, 91 runs and 59 RBIs. He was durable and dependable, playing in 159 games and taking 675 plate appearances.

Mullins produced 5.3 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs.com, for last season, 14th-best in the majors. In that stat he exceeded some top players such as Jose Altuve, Xander Bogaerts, Shohei Ohtani, Matt Olson, Kyle Tucker and Freddie Freeman.

That article was certainly accurate in stating this: "The Orioles aren't going to declare anyone on their Major League roster 'untouchable,' but Mullins would only be available for a staggeringly strong offer."

At least in the case of dealing an outfielder, the Orioles would be trading from a position where they have some organizational depth. Kyle Stowers is getting close to his big league debut, and others including Robert Neustrom had strong years last summer on the farm. Heck, Colton Cowser could be the future center fielder of the Orioles, and he could end this coming season at Double-A or maybe even Triple-A. Heston Kjerstad looks to finally take the field this season.

We can see the makings of the next good O's team among the position players, with Adley Rutschman catching, players like Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo and others pushing for infield spots and the outfield depth we already cited.

But sure, the team has some current All-Star-caliber talent as well. That talent could be heading up the next good O's team or dealt to bring in someone else that could be a big part of it.