MLB insider casually reveals Orioles' absurd Yankees demand in Charlie Morton trade

Was Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton rightfully in demand at the MLB trade deadline, due to his status as a bonafide postseason hero and steady workhorse, even in his twilight years? Certainly! Did Morton ultimately net the Orioles only one minor-league reliever in trade from the Detroit Tigers? Also yes. Huh. Why ... the disparity between the demand for Morton and the heightened prices of the seller's market?

Last week, Yankees fans got a definitive answer to that question. It turns out the Orioles asked for the world from the Yanks, were rebuffed, probably had similar demands of the rest of the baseball world, and had to settle. Big time.

During a casual Tuesday afternoon, six hours before the biggest 12-game stretch of the Yankees' season (one that will probably include Morton among the probables in the Detroit series), SNY's Andy Martino decided to check out the Double-A Somerset lineup and start a fire.

According to Martino, the Yankees held Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, who's become one of their consensus top-five prospects, out of all conversations with the Orioles about Morton. Morton is 41 years old, only controllable through the end of the 2025 season, and could opt to walk away from the game at any moment. Probably a good call by the Yankees not to include a wildly valuable asset in a two-months-of-Morton trade. Also a good call to walk away as soon as Rodriguez-Cruz was requested.

Yankees refused to trade Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz for Charlie Morton because duh?

Added from the Red Sox this offseason in a Carlos Narváez trade that's swiftly evening up (we know, we know, "do it in MLB first," we know), Rodriguez-Cruz has whiffed 150 batters in 129 innings, with his most recent eight starts coming at the Double-A level after hitting a crescendo at High-A Hudson Valley. His seasonal highlight thus far was his back-to-back dominance against the loaded Double-A Mets affiliate, facing off (and besting) recent breakout Jonah Tong.

Rodriguez-Cruz will likely get a chance to contribute to the 2026 Yankees or he'll be flipped this offseason in a bigger trade. Yankees fans should be very thankful Brian Cashman didn't slide into desperation mode, throw caution to the wind, and trade him (or any of his similarly clustered peers) for Morton or a Morton equivalent.