BALTIMORE — Mike Elias is in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in his tenure as Orioles general manager he is in control of a club that is a ‘buyer’ at the trade deadline as opposed to a ‘seller’.
The O’s are leading the American League and the A.L. East division by a game and a half. They are legit World Series contenders. It has fans and the front office thinking big with Tuesday’s deadline fast approaching.
Elias spoke on Friday about his approach to making deals before this year's deadline.
“If we are going to make additional acquisition trades I would bet heavily they are going to be on the pitching side of things,” he said. “I think it’s no secret that would be the areas of the team where we can either use more depth or look for upgrades. So, we are working on that right now. But, this stuff, I don’t have total control over it. It’s two-party transaction and there is a big market out there happening right now.”
Elias added that he does have the green light from ownership to make trades that add to the payroll. He said he is talking to all 29 other teams. He also said he has no intent to subtract from the current roster but would not rule it out.
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