The Baltimore Orioles, now under interim manager Tony Mansolino, are slowly righting the ship on an abysmal start to 2025. The O’s sit at 37-48 entering Wednesday – still an unimpressive mark, but one that puts them seven games back of the final wild card spot with almost half of the season to go.
It will take a lot going right for Baltimore to sneak into the postseason for a third straight year, especially in the health department. Injuries have decimated the team, leaving the starting rotation a skeleton crew and sidelining several key hitters for extended stretches.
The worst case of the latter is Ryan Mountcastle, who will remain out through at least the end of July with a right hamstring issue. The O’s are sorely missing his impact bat in the middle of the lineup.
However, a replacement may have just opened up for them…
An Old Friend Reappears for Orioles
As reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, veteran first baseman Trey Mancini has chosen to opt out of a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mancini had been tearing up the Pacific Coast League, with a .308 average, .895 OPS, 16 doubles, 16 home runs, and 62 RBI. Though the ballpark conditions in the league likely inflate those numbers slightly, theyâre still an encouraging sign from someone who didnât play baseball last year and last appeared in the bigs in 2023.
Mancini’s decision to opt out shows that he feels a major league option is now out there for him, and his old stomping grounds seem like an ideal fit. Mancini, who spent parts of six seasons with the O’s and missed 2020 while undergoing treatment for colon cancer, could immediately help address multiple issues.
The Player and The Person
On the field, Mancini can fill a few roles. While Ryan O’Hearn has subbed in nicely at first for the injured Mountcastle, he’s not used to playing the position every day. Mancini can pick up some time there while allowing O’Hearn’s team-best bat to stay in the lineup at DH.
In an emergency, Mancini also has corner outfield experience. He was never a plus defender there, but with top offseason acquisition Tyler O’Neill battling his second injury of the season and others struggling at the plate, he could also log a few outfield innings.
Signing Mancini should also help to reinvigorate fan interest after the poor start. The O’s currently have the 8th-lowest average attendance in MLB at 22,586 – a decrease of over 5,500 fans from last year. He was a local favorite on some otherwise lackluster Baltimore Orioles teams, and the fans further rallied around him following his successful cancer recovery.
A Win-Win Regardless of Record
From Mancini’s perspective, it depends on what he wants from his career. After the Baltimore Orioles traded him to the Houston Astros in 2022, he went on to win the World Series. If his ultimate goal is to chase another title this year, he may be better suited as a bench piece elsewhere… but if consistent at-bats are more what he desires, a homecoming makes sense. The left field wall at Camden Yards also got brought back in some this year, which should help his power numbers.
From the Orioles’ perspective, there is nothing to lose from making this move. Mancini won’t be the one thing that fully turns their season around, nor would failure on his part be the only reason for a firesale.
The club has barely a month remaining to decide if they’ll be sellers at the trade deadline – if they are, then O’Hearn is their most valuable commodity, and Mancini would have an even larger use the rest of the way.
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