The Orioles are as deep as any team in baseball when it comes to young position players. As the trade deadline approaches, that’s led to interminable speculation on top prospects like Heston Kjerstad, Connor Norby, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo — highly touted prospects who’ve yet to solidify themselves as one of Baltimore’s long-term pillars. But for all the understandable focus on that slate of top-100 talents, the O’s have more to offer. Perhaps chief among the team’s controllable change-of-scenery candidates is outfielder Kyle Stowers. Manager Brandon Hyde alluded to the possibility in chatting with the Baltimore beat this weekend (link via Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun).
“Kyle’s going to get a chance to be an everyday Major League player here at some point, either with us or with somebody else. Who knows?” Hyde said when discussing the 26-year-old outfielder and the positive impression he’s made on his manager this season. “You never know what this game is gonna bring, but he’s putting himself in great position.”
Stowers has indeed put himself in a position to be either quite useful to the Orioles or another club before long. There’s plenty of smoke and mirrors at play with his current .306 batting average and .500 slugging percentage, as those gaudy numbers have come in a sample of just 37 plate appearances and are propped up by an unsustainable .435 average on balls in play. Meanwhile, Stowers has fanned 13 times (35.1%) without taking a walk. In parts of three MLB seasons (2022-24), he’s taken 168 plate appearances and batted .229/.274/.369. He’s fanned at a 32.1% clip and walked in 4.8% of those plate appearances.
It’s not a particularly appealing batting line on the whole, but it’s come across five separate stints (dating back to his Aug. 2022 MLB debut) and with no consistent playing time. When Stowers, a 2019 second-round pick, has received steady playing time at the Triple-A level, he’s generally been a productive hitter. The lefty-swinging slugger carries a career .252/.350/.518 batting line with 56 homers, 55 doubles, five triples and seven steals in 1029 plate appearances with Baltimore’s top affiliate in Norfolk. Stowers has been between 12% and 30% better than average at the plate in each of his four seasons with the Tides, by measure of wRC+.
Defensively, he’s seen time at all three positions but logged most of his time in right field. Baseball America ranked him ninth among O’s prospects last year (and seventh the year prior), touting his above-average speed, plus power and plus arm. Stowers has long had some strikeout issues and an aggressive approach at the plate, but he’s also walked in a hearty 11.8% of his Triple-A plate appearances. He hits right-handed pitching better than lefties, as one would expect from a slugging lefty bat, but Stowers has posted an OPS between .781 and 1.018 versus lefties in each of the past four seasons (minors and majors combined). He might never be a star, but to this point in his career, the Stanford product has looked like he could be more than the prototypical platoon slugger with minimal defensive value.
With another 51 days of service this year, Stowers would reach a full season of MLB service time, thus putting him on pace for arbitration in the 2026-27 offseason and free agency in the 2029-30 offseason. If he spends fewer than 51 days on a big league roster or injured list, that timeline to free agency would be pushed back a year. However, he’d be a very likely Super Two candidate at that point, so his arbitration timeline would remain the same — he’d just be eligible four times rather than three before free agency.
Stowers is the type of interesting trade candidate who could appeal to both contending and non-contending teams alike. He’s had a decent amount of success in Triple-A, has at least a half decade of control remaining (plus a minor league option beyond the current season), and has a limited path to an everyday role with his current club. He’d appeal to a rebuilding club as a possible return for a trade chip or perhaps to a win-now club looking for an affordable upside play in the outfield corners. Both Meyer and MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko have suggested recently that Stowers could be moved (likely for pitching).
It’s of course possible that he could be a factor for the Orioles themselves in future seasons, as Anthony Santander is a free agent this winter, while Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins could end up as trade or non-tender candidates themselves. However, even if the O’s move on from the veteran trio of Santander, Hays and Mullins before Opening Day 2025, they’ll still have Colton Cowser, Kjerstad, Mayo and Norby in the outfield mix. Both Norby and Mayo have primarily been infielders, but Baltimore’s infield is quite crowded — particularly if Jackson Holliday eventually seizes a spot — which could push Norby to left field and/or push Mayo to right field.
It’s all a “good problem to have,” but Stowers is 26 (27 in January) and down to one option year beyond the current campaign. As Hyde said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise one way or another if he’s getting a full look sooner than later. Just for fun, let’s see what MLBTR readers think about Stowers’ future with a poll:
“Keep him — he’s part of the long-term outfield in Baltimore.” shouldn’t even be an option. It’s that obvious he’s not.
Norby & Stowers for Taillon?
Holy Overpay, Batman!
Cubs would have to eat a ton of that contract.
Taillon has been very good again this year, so I don’t see why they would have to pay anything. – 18M for a 3-era starter is great.
Who carries the majority of Taillon’s contract? The only way the Cubs get that kind of return is if they eat a big chunk of salary. Elias has openly stated the O’s have room to add payroll at this deadline if that’s what gets deals done.
Maybe Stowers and a flier but certainly no Norby. Taillon is on a bad contract and is one of the more inconsistent sps around. And it would absolutely be contingent upon the cubs picking up a substantial part of his contract. Frankly, the cubs would likely be thrilled to get much of anything in return while also freeing up even some of that money.
The Orioles have a surplus of left handed hitting outfielders. They also just drafted an outfielder with their 1st rounder. I don’t think Stowers is the guy to trade he doesn’t have a lot of value. Probably should trade Beavers.
19 good games and we’re in on this guy?
I’d say 53. His first 34 in 2021 were pretty good, too. But he was a well-thought-of prospect so I can see why people like him.
Only a 9th round draft choice, however.
He went 71st overall in the Comp B round or something. Just after the 2nd round.
What? 9th round? Nonsense. Comp B.
Tough spot for the O’s to be in, too many talented young players in the system…. As a Jays fan , I’m envious at your good team. and excellent farm system !
Meanwhile we still have shapiro and his useless carryon baggage lackie GM atkins in Toronto and are going nowhere with the 2 Cleveland Clowns …..
Hopefully this cools off the Tigers goofballs who think they’d get Holliday or Mayo + Basallo for Skubal just bc they’re the O’s top prospects.
Future value is absolute, fam. Team rankings are relative.
We stopped listening to you on the last Skubal post. Look up “fanatic” in the dictionary. I’m sure in your mind Stowers for Skubal would be Detroit totally ripping off Baltimore.
Lofl. Enjoy your MLB The Show franchise.
You well and truly have zero understanding of how modern analytics values players.
If you get Mayo + Cowser + Norby + rando FV35+ for Skubal and a BP arm, enjoy that, too.
Mayo, Cowser, Norby isn’t happening either. If the orioles offered Mayo and Cowser (without Norby) the deal would be done already. Maybe a flier in there but no chance at Norby as a third piece.
Let’s be fair here tho, you tigers fans are outside your collective minds. Skubal is great and warrants a haul but there’s no chance in hell that they’d get that kind of return. Absolutely zero.
And to boot, Tigers nutjobs are convinced Skubal’s half season of dominance is the second coming of Christ and his injury history has been washed away…
And that Detroit is the next Baltimore. ROFLLLLL
It’s going to take more than Mayo and Basallo to get the best left handed pitcher in MLB with 2 1/2 yrs of control.
It should be 5 prospect/players centered around one of Mayo/Basallo/Kjerstad. Not two from that group. The other 4 pieces would all be strong pieces too. And the Os have those other pieces to deal too.
This would grade out several levels better than the Cease Padres deal template, which also was 2.5 yrs of control. At the time, the industry called that deal an overpay. But with this, Skubal is a much better pitcher—the best, in fact. And the Os in this prospective deal would be dealing much stronger prospects.
Tigers fans are getting infatuated by the marquee names, but the Os are the #1 system. And their 5-15 are pretty strong. This Os package would give them 3-4 quality major leaguers, all relatively close the the majors—anything from immediately to next year, de-ending on the players
That said, I don’t think a deal for Skubal happens. He’s a Cy Young candidate, in a fantastic season. Plus the Tigers are going to be competing next year. They aren’t in full rebuild. He would be a key part of that.
Plus, the Tigers and fans probably need a huge overpay for it to happen. The going trade value rate for aces is just not going to make them happy. So they’re just going to hold onto him. As well they should.
Tigers and O’s fans agree that it will take an o repayment for it to happen. Harris has said as much, and Elias is known for being stingy with his prospects (and I don’t blame him). I’d be extremely surprised if a trade happens. If it does I think the O’s are clearly World series favorites. If they go get Fedde, Flaherty, Basitt or someone else I still think they have a decent shop of advancing. Or… we get a Texas-Arizona type final like last year because there’s no guarantees in the playoffs. It’s all up to Elias and Harris now.
Tigers were supposed to be competing for the last how many years? They finished 2nd last year and were still 9 games back in the division and 11 for a WC spot. They are better in the long term if they move Skubal now while his value is at its peak to bring back 3-4 future MLB players, maybe 5 if they hit on every name in a trade.
Orioles are more like #5 best minor league system. They aren’t going to be #1 into perpetuity.
LOL
LOL Has there ever been a trade where two MLB Top 15 Prospects have been traded plus more for a starting pitcher who has NEVER thrown 150 innings in MLB? I could probably rephrase it to any starting pitcher. Chris Sale or Zack Greinke or Cole didn’t receive that type of value. And they were proven.
BS. Juan Soto was the centerpiece of a multi-player deadlione trade and, at the time of the deal, only one of the prospects headed to Washington was in the top 20 — Abrams. While they were highly tauted, Hassell was only 30th, Wood was not yet ranked, and Gore had lost his prospect status as he’d reached the Majors. Mayo and Basallo are both top-15 and only one will move in a deal for Skubal if it happens.
No it’s really not.
This is so timely, since all the Tigers fans turned their nose up at everything not named Holliday & Mayo.
Stowers would be a blue chip trade piece of significant interest in more than half of the leagues’ farm teams, but because he’s in Norfolk, he gets ignored for the marquee guys. Silly Tigers fans.
I wouldn’t call Stowers a “blue chip” trade piece.
He’s a prospect who has a strong chance to be a quality majorleague starter. But he’s not really a a guy who approaches a Gunnar Henderson ceiling. To me, that’s what “blue chip” suggests.
He’s not a blue chipper by any stretch, but he definitely has value to somebody as an MLB-ready guy with 25 HR upside.
Like King Floch and basemonkey 2 said, Stowers is not a blue chipper but he looks like he will be an everyday player and that is definitely worth something. It doesn’t matter what you or I, or other O’s and Tigers fans think about whether the Tigers will get Holliday, Mayo or anyone else. Those are just fan opinions. What counts is what Elias and Harris think and we should find out soon enough and then someone gets to day I told you so. Cheers dude.
Nothing Motor City says is valid.
Stowers has the same potential as Kjerstad.
You and your obnoxious streak are difficult to have a conversation with. Try making your point without being insulting. When you get a GM job maybe we will all give more weight to what you say. Until then you’re just another fan with an opinion.
No it’s cause the Tigers have a boatload of 4-A type outfielders.
Tigers need 3B, SS and 1B (or 2nd, depending on where Keith plays). They have NO ONE in the bigs or upper levels of minors for left side of infield (Jung is going back to 2nd next yr).
THAT’S WHY the Tigers fans demand Holliday/Mayo. Because it fits the team needs perfectly
Then convert Stowers to 1B and shove it
This article makes Stowers almost look like a throwaway candidate. He’s not. I wouldn’t put any stock into his major league numbers so far.
In any other system, he would be getting a shot in the majors and have accrued a year of consistent playing time. On the Os, he’s had very spotty stints just to cover an injury or paternity leave for a few days to a week. But he’s capable of developing into a solid major leaguer who can field, hit, throw, and hit for power. He just needs playing time.
Technically speaking, he’s probably a better fielder than Kjerstad. He just doesn’t give you the possible 40-HR raw power ceiling that Heston does. And he’s too talented to just be a 4th OF—or even 5th OF on the Orioles depth chart. He’s a starter who needs a new team. It’s plain as day.
Again…..
Stick any healthy veteran ML pitcher that can eat some innings in front of the O’s defense and facing 2 of the best game callers and handler of pitchers in MLB, and they will win…..especially when we add in that explosive offense.
The O’s don’t need to trade away any of their top prospects at this point to compete for the WS in 2024. They have an entire off-season to work on 2025’s pitching staff. So unless something attractive comes their way, I see no reason for the O’s FO to overreact this trade deadline.
Now…..
This article is correct. Sowers is a very good prospect for a rebuilding team that has a veteran innings-eater to trade. Depending on the veteran – his salary and years of control – the O’s can add in Norby who’s blocked 4 ways around in the infield. A team like the White Sox that are shopping Fedde is a perfect fit, and the O’s can easily outbid the Cardinals or any other rumored team.
It obviously depends on how the O’s evaluators feel about the starting pitchers that are available.
I agree Fedde or maybe Bassitt is your guy. I can’t see Harris and Elias agreeing on a Skubal deal but who knows.
Yeah I still think they definitely need to find somebody to put in that 3 spot in their rotation. I just don’t think I’d be able to trust Suarez or Kremer in a potential must win game against some of the leagues best offenses. I don’t necessarily think they need to aim for a Skubal or Crochet this year but it would definitely help lower the blow if Burnes leaves in free agency.
Motor City Beach Bum;
Bassitt would surely fit. But I think the Jays entire Baseball Ops Department will be overhauled this off-season, so I don’t know if whoever is the head active businesses/administrator will trust Shapiro/Atkins to make a trade.
I do think there are a few veteran pitchers available that aren’t in the rumors. Keep in mind that MLBTR may overplay rumors, but they don’t make them. They report on them and blow them up. The usual suspects Morisi (whatever), Heyman, others are used by both agents and FO people to politic in the media. Most of the serious negotiations are not publicized until just before the dal goes through.
The Toronto situation will be interesting to monitor. I’d say in the next few days more teams will make a decision to sell.
Its the same every year. Lots of smoke but little fire. All that smoke makes for interesting fan discussions though. Cheers.
I was there was a lol button on here.
*wish
Why?
All the Tiger fans thinking they’ll get 3 top 5 prospects for Skubal.
Oh, got ya. I agree that a lot of the proposals here seriously overvalue Skubal. He could definitely land the Tigers a really nice haul but he’s not bringing a bigger return than Juan freaking Soto.
That said, I have also seen some that are a bit light on the Orioles side too, though probably not as aggressively.
Not but they’ll get two. They don’t have to sell and don’t really want to.
Then I really don’t see a deal coming together, which is fine.
They could get two from a system – even the orioles. But we’re talking Kjerstad and Norby not Mayo and Basallo. I think the orioles could make a very attractive package around Basallo as he’s a unique talent at catcher but is blocked by possibly the best catcher in baseball. Something like Basallo, Norby, Stowers and a 15-20 guy would be a haul the tigers couldn’t pass up which the orioles could stomach at the same time.
My opinion is that Detroit would easily pass on your offer with Norby as the second piece. Not a fan of either team so I can be objective. Baltimore is the team calling and all teams will listen, but Detroit does not have to trade him. I don’t see that package as overwhelming.
I agree with hockeyjohn. They will ask for more. I don’t see the deal coming together. Elias doesn’t play his cards aggressively and take big chances like Preller in SD. Putting me being a Tigers fan aside, I think Elias should go all in here and sell his prospects, but not any of the players already on the team who have proven themselves. He could likely pull some bullpen arms from them as well. The Tigers have pitching.
He needs to be given a real look at the MLB level, there’s some real talent there and he really has nothing left to prove at AAA. I’d prefer to jettison Hays or Mullins and give him a shot, but I think his big opportunity probably comes elsewhere due to how crowded it is here already and the fact that the next wave of OF prospects like Beavers and Fabian is catching up now.
Sup Floch, always value your posts and opinion. I gotta ask, we’ve seen it here before and it prompted some trades… what’s the ’25 40 Man crunch for the O’s looking like? If there’s too many peeps to protect pre-Rule V (it’s a rather *good* problem to have) who do you want to see traded? In discussions here in San Diego, it was always determined to be sagacious to spend the chips before they expired… and might as well try to land the biggest fish you can! I suggest the O’s need another TOR arm for the Postseason… but what say you? Cheers King
Haha, thanks. Good to see you too, bro 🙂
As far as this offseason’s Rule V protects go, the only musts that I am aware of are Mayo and McDermott (assuming they are still in the org by then). There are a few other somewhat interesting guys like Justin Armbruester and Alex Pham (both SPs) who I would have previously expected to get added, but neither has really done enough this year so far to earn a spot. Super utility guy Billy Cook is a bubble guy who is older but his versatility might get him picked by a team looking for a 26th man with a bit of upside who can play both IF and OF, so I could maybe see him being added if some other current 40 man guys get moved (i.e. Norby and Stowers).
And yeah, another SP to slot in ahead of Kremer is a basically a must at this point, but I could live with someone like Fedde if the price is too high on the true TORs like Skubal and Crochet. Another high leverage RP (or two) would also be nice- Scott, Finnegan, Yates, etc. would all be reasonable targets on that front.
Agreed! Aloha brah
He’s one of the best trade options. He’s done enough for someone to take a chance but he’s a 250 AAA hitter with good but not spectacular power and he has big holes in swing. Most concerning is he can hit high velocity fastballs.
As for Mayo – he’s the first baseman of the future and we can finally be done with Mountcastle and his streaks.
If they come up with the cash they can have 10 years of Adley, Westbrook, Henderson, Holiday and Mayo around the infield. That could be 125 homers per year from your infield and a bunch of gold gloves. I’d be stunned if any of them are traded.
Outfield has some risk – but I they should resign Santander, Assume Cowser sticks and the go from there. Both O’Hearn and Kjerstad are DHs, so you could see Heston traded. Norby is under rated because there’s less hype – like Joey Ortiz – but he’s going to be a solid big leaguer.
People need to understand though that you can’t have 6 first or second year guys in the lineup every day so guys like Hays and Mullins play a role.
Bottom line is I hope the Os don’t mortgage the future to grab a pitcher or two. Yes a World Series would be nice but Elias has a plan to be competitive for a decade and some of these prospects will be key to that. Sucks that they lost so many pitchers to injuries but there’s no guarantee no matter who you pick up.
Can’t hit fastballs that is
“Both O’Hearn and Kjerstad are DHs, so you could see Heston traded.”
tuck 2;
Respectfully, I think you got that part backwards.
O’Hearn can play 1B and RF as well as DH. The O’s have a team option in 2025 for him at $7.5m. That’s a lot of money for them. Kjerstad has a low salary and 6 years of control. He can play some LH today. His upside for future hitting is far greater than O’Hearns, and over the next year he’ll still produce…..or his spot on the roster will be taken by a position player that will.
I believe they’ll be open to moving O’Hearn here if they get the
right pitcher/package back. Even if it’s to a rebuilding team that
will flip O’Hern for 2 good prospects to a team that needs a LH
run-producer.
Samuel, you keep saying O’Hearn could be flipped by another team for two prospects…
But no he can’t. His value is highest in Baltimore. No one in their right mind would move one of the Orioles’ most consistent hitters right now.
Legitimate question for you tuck- would you rather hoist the chip this year or be “competitive” for a decade? I suppose there is no *right* answer, just curious after reading your post. I understand there are no guarantees either way, but maybe at some point just go for it, no?!
Gwynning;
Not answering for tuck, but your question brings up some macro business issues involved that have been ignored by 98% of the posters here that think MLB is Rotisserie League……
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Mark Elias and Sig Mejdal were brought in by the Angelos family that owned the Orioles after the 2018 season. The goal was to build up a sordid franchise/team so that in the future the franchise could be sold. The challenge was that the O’s play in a small market, meaning that if they developed superstars they’d probably lose most to free agency. The objective was to draft and develop so many good young players that allowing for some failing and some being so good they would leave in FA, the team would still have a strong amount of affordable players that could be a part of a sustainable contender.
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Elias and Mejdal did exactly what they were hired to do. And the day before the 2024 season started, the franchise was sold to David Rubenstein for $1.725 billion. That’s some serious money. He didn’t lay that money out thinking that the team would trade away some of their best prospects that they control for 6 years to win a championship in 2024.
“Flags may fly forever”, but Mr. Rubenstein didn’t pay cash for the franchise. He borrowed most of the money and has some high debt payments that he has to make each year. Messrs. Elias, Mejdal and their staffs didn’t work at this thing 24/7/365 since 2018 to win a WS in 2024 and then figure out what to do with their remaining decades on earth.
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What I’m saying is not so much to you, but the way I’ve viewed the majority of the posts on this board related to the O’s this trading deadline – most of the fans here not only don’t watch enough games to understand what goes on on the field of play, but they absolutely ignore the backstory that has driven the Orioles franchise for almost 7 years. MLB is simply like trading baseball cards to them.
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And most posters here don’t like me and think I’m full of it.
This is really sad (and it’s why I left the board for a year).
You keep being you, bro bro Sammy. Post whatever you want whenever you want to. I can speak for myself and say that I enjoy virtually all the posts here, including yours, because at the core of it all… we are all talking about baseball. The best sport in the world, imo o/c!!! In other words, f*>% the haters.
Go Pads… and Go O’s! Cheers
That’s enough Samuel. You’re voted off the island.
Players that should be untouchable are, Holliday, Mayo, and Heston. I can see Norby, Stowers, and maybe Basallo becoming available for the right pitchers (and I 100% wouldn’t trade all 3 of them, especially for 1 pitcher)
Stop with these clickbait titles. If the article is about this guy as a trade candidate, do what you did for years and years prior to these insufferable changes you’ve made in recent years when writing player-friendly pieces: just call it “Trade Candidate: Kyle Stowers.” MLBTR used to not pander so much. Now they’re pulling some Bleacher Report/Fansided/ClutchPoints garbage just to get you to click on their articles. It’s thinly veiled and desperate.
And I thought it was a thoughtful alliteration. To each their own!
The reality is that those clickbait articles on the sites you listed draw in attention AND profit.
Like it or not, surviving as a source means following that trend of facing extinction.