Orioles trade a draft pick to focus on the immediate future

The Baltimore Orioles are sitting on top of the American League East division right now, functionally tied with the Boston Red Sox. Things are definitely going better for them now than a year ago, when they were in fourth place in the division. And during their off day Monday, the team made a few trades and showed that they’re continuing to think about the future.

The Orioles aren’t content to rest on their laurels, and you can watch them defend their first-place status against the Houston Astros today for free, because it’s Yahoo Sports’ Free Game of the Day. First pitch is at 8:10 p.m., and you can stream it on Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home. Local blackouts apply, according to MLB rules.

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The Orioles’ future no longer involves reliever Brian Matusz, who they traded to the Atlanta Braves on Monday. In addition to sending Matusz (and the nearly $3 million left on his contract) to Atlanta, the Orioles are also sending along the 76th pick in the draft. That’s a competitive balance lottery pick, will happen between the second and third rounds of the draft, and has a slot value of $838,900.

The Braves aren’t getting all of this for nothing. They’re taking on Matusz’s 2016 salary, and they sent two minor-league pitchers to Baltimore: 23-year-old righty Brandon Barker, and 23-year-old lefty Trevor Belicek. Both have had good seasons this far, but neither are on any top prospect lists.

This trade may seem like a lot of nothing in exchange for nothing, but it did accomplish goals for both teams. The Braves immediately designated Matusz for assignment because what they really wanted was the draft pick (and the increase in their draft bonus pool). And the Orioles acquired pitching depth and freed up a bit of money as they head into trade season.

Orioles general manager Dan Duquette had more moves to make on Monday. He sent two international signing bonus slots to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor league pitcher Franderlyn Romero, a 23-year-old righty. It’s not known which slots the Orioles traded, but Reds beat reporter Zach Buchanan says that it’s at least $400,000, and it could be more.

The question here is whether or not the Orioles have shot themselves in the foot with these recent moves. They did shed about $3 million in salary, and acquired three minor-league pitchers, but they also gave up money that was specifically designated for their farm system, which could use some rebuilding.

The Orioles are obviously thinking about their future. They need pitchers, and they also need financial room to make trades as they make a run for the AL East pennant. But will it be worth it for the Orioles to gain $3 million in the short term and lose $1.2 million (or more) that could be used to build the team in the long term? October is probably the best time to ask them that. That is, if they’re not too busy playing baseball.

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