It's been a disappointing season for the Baltimore Orioles, yet general manager Mike Elias still has a ton of belief in his team.
Despite Baltimore's sub-.500 record, Elias told reporters Saturday that he's still planning to approach the trade deadline as a buyer.
"If the deadline was today, we're a game and a half out," Elias said, according to Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun. "I know our record's backward, but apparently this is infecting a whole bunch of other teams, too. I can't explain it, and I wish we were arriving at that in a much different way, and the context around that is unusual. But we're right there. So, like I said, we're going for it."
Expectations for the Orioles have been sky high since signing Pete Alonso to a $155-million contract last winter. The club finished last in the AL East one year ago after completing a rebuild that led to playoff berths in 2023 and '24 but no postseason wins.
So far, the 2026 Orioles have looked quite similar to the 2025 club. A squad full of bright young stars has underperformed as a whole, leaving Baltimore with a 39-44 record and minus-23 run differential entering play Saturday.
However, as Elias pointed out, the losing record hasn't pushed his team - and quite a few other American League squads - out of postseason contention. Baltimore entered Saturday tied with the Twins and sitting only 1.5 games out of the final AL wild-card spot, a product of what's been a bizarre year in the Junior Circuit.
Five AL teams below .500 began Saturday within at least 1.5 games of the playoffs - Orioles, Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. The 40-42 Athletics also ended Friday as the AL's No. 6 seed, but Texas leapfrogged them by beating Toronto on Saturday afternoon (the A's play Saturday night). Notably, even the league-worst Royals and Angels were only 6.5 games back after Friday's contests.
Elias admitted that this year's unique circumstances are influencing his approach, but he noted that things around his team could change. However, he added that he's more optimistic about what could happen if the Orioles can get reinforcements and catch a wave down the stretch.
"I'm going to have to look at the circumstances and what happens. And I will be doing the right thing for the franchise regardless of everything else," Elias said, according to journalist Steve Melewski. "We're going to have to see what the standings are and what our team is looking like at that time. But we're certainly making those preparations.
Elias added: "Regardless of how we got here, we're a game and a half out right now, and we've got everything in front of us. I think we're going to be good."
