Orioles demanded Yankees' best pitching prospect for a guy who just got DFA'd

The New York Yankees weren't the only team to be met with starting pitcher sticker shock at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, but they might have the best story of survival.

As July 31 approached, most analysts projected a strong seller's market, where down-and-out teams with genuine assets would be able to take advantage of a large Wild Card applicant pool (the new normal) and incite a bidding war. That ... kind of didn't happen, in large part because the price precedent on starting pitching was set too high, and there aren't enough Sucker GMs these days to make that a viable strategy.

Sure, we still had a frenzy; the last 36 hours of the deadline featured more big names changing hands than anyone anticipated after a stagnant few weeks of talks. But most of the key starters stayed put. Merrill Kelly left Arizona, but Zac Gallen didn't. Joe Ryan was almost traded to Boston, but he also wasn't. MacKenzie Gore remained in DC. Dylan Cease stayed in San Diego. The Pirates didn't trade Mitch Keller, and also didn't do much of anything at all.

The Orioles, stuck in a shocking last place slot in a season where they thought their window would stretch instead of shrink? They did offload Charlie Morton, taking advantage of his 2.88 ERA in June, but all they received in return was minor-league reliever Micah Ashman. That ... certainly meets the defining parameters of a "trade," but it's hardly a blockbuster.

And "blockbuster" is what the Orioles were trying to build when they were talking Morton trade with their AL East rivals, the Yankees. Morton's grit and guile might've been valuable down the stretch, but talks fell apart when Baltimore reportedly asked for ... Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, who's become the team's best pitching prospect.

Morton, of course, was DFA'd over the weekend after posting a 12.75 ERA in four September starts. An all-time trade deadline flop. He's likely going to retire without finishing the season. ELMER-RODRIGUEZ CRUZ!

Yankees declined Orioles' generous trade deadline offer to take on soon-to-be-DFA'd Charlie Morton for Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Great!

Rodriguez-Cruz, still a Yankee, finished the year with a bump to Triple-A so he could participate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's playoff run after Somerset was eliminated before his Game 3 start could occur. Clearly, the Yankees aren't terribly worried about adding more innings to his impressive right arm.

New York has a number of possible impact arms reaching the upper minors in Cam Schlittler's wake, but Rodriguez-Cruz seems to be the most polished, ahead of the blustery Ben Hess and Carlos Lagrange and his astounding fastball. And, again, that's who the Orioles wanted to start trade conversations with when they were trying to offload a guy who just got handed metaphorical retirement papers a month and a half after his arrival. Masterclass.