Today: Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports that the Reds will receive cash considerations in the deal, not a player to be named later.
July 30: Just before the deadline, the Orioles have picked up Austin Slater and infielder Livan Soto and cash considerations in a trade with the Reds, per announcements from both clubs. The Reds receive cash considerations or a player to be named later.
Slater is on the move for the second time this month, as Cincinnati acquired the outfielder in a deal with the Giants only three weeks ago. But the Reds recently nabbed Ty France from the Mariners, perhaps leading to Slater being squeezed out of their plans.
He has long been a solid defender with a right-handed bat that performs well with the platoon advantage. He’s hit just .226/.316/.334 against righties in his career for an 84 wRC+ but his slash against southpaws is .274/.364/.433, which leads to a 122 wRC+.
On the defensive side of things, Slater has close to 3,000 outfield innings on his ledger, with almost 1,200 of those in center field. Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating consider him subpar in center but good in a corner, while Outs Above Average considers him to be strong in all three spots.
The O’s traded Austin Hays for Cristian Pache and Seranthony Domínguez but were reportedly looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder to take some of the at-bats that were available in the wake of Hays’ departure. It would appear that Slater will be the one to step up for that job.
Soto, 24, is clearly a favorite of the Baltimore front office. They claimed him off waivers from the Angels in February, but the Angels claimed him back later that month. The O’s claimed him a second time back in April but then also quickly put him back on waivers, when the Reds claimed him.
He has a small sample of major league experience, with 23 games scattered over this season and the previous two. He’s hit .280/.378/.376 in Triple-A this year for a 101 wRC+. He’s capable of playing the three infield spots to the left of first base and even has a small amount of center field experience. He can still be optioned for the rest of this year and an additional season as well.
C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic first reported on X that Slater was going to the O’s. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relayed Soto’s inclusion on X. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer first relayed the cash on X.
Why?
Why Eloy too? No room for a DH/right fielder
teddyj;
Well, for one thing Gunner has screwed up at SS so much the past month or so that there’s no way the O’s go anywhere in the playoffs unless they get Mateo healthy……Gunner was 15 feet on the 2nd base side when he and Mateo collided…who who knows how bad Mateo’s injury is. Mateo’s D was a big reason the O’s won the past 2 seasons – he got pitchers out of so many jams…not to mention his speed on the bases.
Soto appears to be a long-shot backup plan.
Brilliant FO.
I’ll have to defer to Elias, Sig and Eve rather than overthink it from my uninformed position.
I love how everyone is such a perfect GM, overly critical of the actual FO and immediately forgetful of their own missed calls.
“We’ll see how this goes.”
Glad there was some movement at the deadline despite the hefty market price for pitching. Can’t believe what the Friars paid for Tanner Scott. We’ll see how that goes too.
I think Austin must have some sort of dirt on MLB execs. Why else would they keep trading for him?
But why did we need Jimenez then?
What a weird move.
This deadline has been weird for Elias, and calling it weird is the best way I can sugarcoat it for Baltimore
The only trade they won is the eflin trade then there were head scratchers and the hays-Dominguez trade
To be fair, Jackson Baumeister and Seth Johnson are decent prospects. Moises Chace may end up being decent.
Another thing to consider is the Orioles cleared up 7 potential 40 player roster for the off season: Hays, McGough, Chace, Norby, and Stowers, Cook, and Johnson. That may be lost during all the trades, but it is quite significant.
Precisely. The orioles had the best trade deadline of any buyer yet we still see a few here who don’t seem to understand baseball operations.
I think that its clearer now that the dust has settled.
1. Skubal, Crochet, Snell, Taillon didn’t move. The biggest SP mover was Flaherty, who the Orioles didn’t want. My guess is the Tigers (probably) and ChiSox (definitely, considering the Cease thing last year) were asking for way too much.
2. We have seen peak Hays. If given a full time role, he won’t hit above .270, he won’t hit 20 HR, he will probably get hurt. I think the Orioles see something fixable in Jimenez’s approach and will make him a more effective RH platoon guy than Hays’ production.
3. Yes, Norby and Stowers could prove to be good MLB starters for the Marlins, but they added no value in Baltimore, this year or next year, as they’re blocked. The need for a hopefully mid rotation long term piece was much higher than setting a record for prospects who can’t break the lineup.
4. I don’t question this regime’s bullpen moves, they’ve been 80-90% good.
5. Mateo’s D is overrated. 2 years ago he was great. In 2023 he was above average. He’s just barely above league average this year. His speed is also overrated because with a .267 OBP he can’t use it. If Holliday is at all productive now, Mateo is a non-tender candidate this winter.
6. I’ve seen enough of Irvin. Rogers’ upside is more than Irvin ever showed (outside of the Oakland Coliseum, Irvin was never good for long). Adding Eflin and Rogers improved the current AND 2025 rotation, bottom line.
why
Reds legend Austin Slater.
Out of all the Austins in MLB, Slater is the worst. There are like 300 better Austins.
He did not last long in red
they saw enough
Something has not been reported
Lots of things are not reported throughout history.
How many lobster did we get?
It’s Baltimore
Crab cakes.
Lobster lol. You got 90% of the way to the joke and then punted as hard as humanly possible. It’s like you hit a 450 foot homer but tripped over your own feet on the way to first.
Apparently lobsters are not how you roll, so you got crabby instead.
Why do the Orioles grab another OF?? What was the point of Eloy Jimenez?? Did they do something else at the last minute like trading some of these OF/OF prospects for Skubal??
If the Reds get a used Amazon Cardboard box then that is good value…
Slater forever red solid .111 avg
Orioles have a strong lineup are they expecting Slater to come in as relief pitcher? pinch hitter against lefties I assume
Why why why
Seems like a complete waste trade tbh
I like what the Mariners and Orioles did this trade season.
A.T. Slater!
That’s all we got, cash?
He was worth at least a clubhouse vending machine..
I heard somewhere it’s just as good as money.
In retrospect the Alex Young for Austin Slater trade was a big zero..
Orioles also get Soto. Reds get the infamous PTBNL.
Most traded player in history of baseball.
The Reds claimed Livan Soto from Baltimore earlier this season. Now trading him back. Third time for the O’s and Soto this season.
@Armaments
Livan will be selling his cartoon balloons in Balmore again.
Livan likes his money…
Why not just keep the better defender and superior platoon bat in Hays?
They got a decent reliever which they needed in Seranthony for Hays
Hays hasn’t really had a place on this team for months. He’s no longer a plus defender – his numbers are down across the board the past two seasons. And apparently he’d become a clubhouse cancer, complaining about playing time thinking he warranted more over kids like Cowser and Kjerstad. I’m sure it’s difficult to watch superior young talent come and take your job from you while simultaneously trying to maintain the competitiveness and confidence necessary to compete at the highest level of your profession. But in the end hays was an average hitter and vastly diminished defender who had turned into a crybaby. He should have been gone months ago. Moving him to get more at bats for superior young talent would have been addition by subtraction on its own but getting a plus reliever made it the proverbial homerun move.
Orioles didn’t give up anything but cash for two OF based on reports, but where do they play both Jimenez and Slater? One cheap former good hitter for bench depth and hope for turnaround totally makes sense. Both though… And does this block Mayo, which would be a big step backwards? Orioles have done well with roster lately so I’m sure they have a plan, but initial reaction is the same as most on here… “Wait what? And why?”
Maybe another move will be announced.
AlistairC;
A number of players currently on the O’s roster will not be on it in the next 2-4 weeks. That may well include everyone they traded for today.
Injuries happen. Players counted on screw up. This FO wants to win, and win now.
Another move, yes. That may be Eloy to the IL by the time the weekend is out…
Wait, What and Why is what Giants fans said every time Slater was in the lineup this year. He’s toast.
I see Bob got some more cash. Typical. God knows he won’t spend any.
I’m sure they are back under 100 million payroll again now.
Well, we can kiss those ’24 WS rings goodbye in Cincy..
Actually the Orioles can.
Slater=Hays?
What are the odds that Livan Soto gets DFA’d by Baltimore and claimed by the Angels once again?
Slater, Soto and cash considerations for … cash considerations? Do I not know what cash considerations are?
Actually… what are cash considerations?
It looks like the Reds sent Soto to the Orioles in exchange for the Orioles covering part of Slater’s remaining salary (hence the cash considerations from the Reds to cover the other part). The Orioles then send “cash considerations” back to the Reds because you aren’t allowed to trade for nothing. The net is probably Slater (who’s contract is underwater), Soto and cash to the Orioles with Orioles covering a large part of the remaining salary for Slater.
Probably close to the cash the Reds got from the Giants for taking Slater a few weeks ago. Cincy essentially rented him until the trade deadline.
So the O’s, with all that minor league talent we keep hearing about, don’t think they have anyone to replace Hays right handed at bats…..they have to trade for it………
I think the O’s like Soto (as evidence that they claimed him in the offseason). I think the cost of acquiring Soto was having to take on Slater’s underwater salary.
They want a veteran righty bat, not another rookie righty, for the stretch.
Am I reading this incorrectly or are ash considerations going both directions in this trade?
You see that sometime in these deals. You cant trade something for nothing so one side will put something like $1 to get around that. I think the reds are sending money to the Orioles to cover part of Slater’s salary and the Orioles are sending back a smaller amount to get around the rule that you have to trade for something.
If the Orioles paid $1 to the Reds for Slater, I assume they’ll get change?
Bob settled for cash instead of a player. Of course he did.
Happy for Austin, being with a contender should lessen the sting of having to move twice in two weeks. Good luck to him!
MLBTR needs to change its name to MLBAustinRumors. All Austin All The Time!
Thank god he’s not going back to the other orange and black! Great flip by the Reds.