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MLB Trade Rumors did a roundup of Orioles trade rumors yesterday, mentioning the possibility of the Orioles trading for Michael Young, Justin Morneau, Mike Morse, and Oliver Perez.
The Young rumor, about which I'm not crazy, comes from Gordon Edes from ESPNBoston.com. In a tweet last night, Edes mentioned that that Orioles, Rangers, and Red Sox could all be in on Young. Presumably the Orioles would be interested in Young to be the DH. Young is hitting .277/.342./402 this season, but with the promotion of Henry Urrutia (who is, admittedly, not hitting as well and much less proven than Young), many could view Young as unnecessary. At the very least, I don't think he's worth giving anything of value up for.
According to Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have sent their top scout to the Twins/Mariners games, and he has confirmed that the Orioles have contacted the Twins about the availability of Justin Morneau. Morneau is on the last year of his contract and still will earn about $6 million. Morneau is hardly the power bat he used to be and this season is hitting just .267/.327/.401 (OPS+ 99). He can DH or play first base. Would this improve the lineup? Possibly. Enough to part with talent? Depends on the talent, but like Young I wouldn't want to give up much.
While looking at Morneau on the Twins side, the Mariners have trade chips like Kendry Morales, Mike Morse, and Oliver Perez that the Orioles could possibly be looking at. Morse is having a good year with a .454 SLG, but his OBP leaves something to be desired at .313. Morse will also be a free agent in 2014.
My sense is that this is all a bunch of talk and nothing will get done, and Connolly agrees with me. Despite all of the rumors, the O's pantry is looking a little barren. And while Jon Heyman declared suddenly that the Orioles have more money than previously thought, I'll believe it when I see it.