3 team needs for the Orioles leading up to the trade deadline
The Baltimore Orioles lead the American League East by four games with below average output from their rotation and Chris Davis batting .199/.309/.391.
However, Buck Showalter's club sits 10 games over .500, due in large part to the team's bats and first-rate defense, while the pitching treads water. The offense - even with Davis' struggles - ranks among the best in baseball, with the contributions of Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones leading the charge, masking some of the holes the Orioles' roster possesses.
With the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees significantly banged up and the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays appearing to be too far behind to be in the October conversation, the Orioles could be an addition or two away from claiming their first division title since 1997.
Here are three areas the Orioles could stand to upgrade before the trade deadline:
1. Catcher
Baltimore has struggled to find any production behind the plate after Matt Wieters suffered an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. The acquisition of Nick Hundley in late May did little to help those woes, as the 30-year-old is batting .250/.284/.382 with 24 strikeouts in 68 at-bats with Baltimore, while rookie Caleb Joseph is also struggling to hit, sporting a .187/.262/.308 slash line with 27 strikeouts in 107 at-bats.
2. Second Base
Even more glaring than the team's catching deficiency is that of the second base position. Baltimore has spent the whole season without featuring a quality middle infielder on the right side as Steve Lombardozzi and Jemile Weeks find themselves in the minors, leaving Jonathan Schoop to endure the growing pains as he learns to be an everyday player in his rookie season. The 22-year-old does have 16 extra base hits and 22 RBI, but it's overshadowed by his .221/.259/.324 slash line and 64 strikeouts in 272 at-bats.
3. A legitimate ace
While there's no team in baseball that wouldn't benefit from another frontline starter, the Orioles are in desperate need. It's been seven years since Baltimore had a bonafide ace on the mound, and Erik Bedard (13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 2007) is still a stretch. This season, Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8 with a 4.52 ERA) has been a bust, Wei-Yin Chen's 9-3 record is deceptive and also comes with a 4.15 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, and Chris Tillman has failed to live up to last season's success.