It might not feel good to hear, but these are the types of acquisitions this team needed. There’s not much that can raise its ceiling, given the stars up and down the lineup and the two pitchers atop its rotation. It needed its floor to be raised.

Plus, what Austin Hays really meant to the team and Adley Rutschman’s struggles.

They probably couldn’t have drawn up a more ideal set of trades if they tried.

Machado’s 2018 trade to the Dodgers kicked off this Orioles rebuild. Now that bright future has been realized in so many ways.

The MLB trade deadline is less than a week away, and the Orioles’ needs are clear: pitching and more pitching.

McDermott will make his major league debut Wednesday at Miami, having rescued his season after a difficult opening.

Plus, looking at the Astros’ pitching trades, static minor league rosters and a Corbin Burnes tweak

It’s hard to keep track of all the young talent the Orioles can offer if they identify pitchers they want to bring into the fold.

If they aren’t going to pay over the market for upgrades on the trade front, adding talented young infielders to the major league mix feels like a logical step.

Plus: The Orioles’ draft strategy, Justin Armbruester’s turnaround, and a bad week with runners in scoring position

Vance Honeycutt boasts advanced power and hard-contact ability to go with the skills to play a true, standout center field and steal some bases. Even if he can’t improve his whiffs and swing decisions, those types of guys typically make it to the majors.

From Gunnar Henderson and Darell Hernaiz to Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday, the Orioles have been adept at identifying the high school players who can make an impact and shepherding them through the minors quickly.

Zach Fruit once saw himself as a two-pitch reliever in the major leagues. The O’s have different ideas.

Plus: The surprising ask from teams Baltimore could trade with.

The infielder has demonstrated what the Orioles knew about him — he can help the team win in many ways.

It has somehow become an accepted, understood fact that the Orioles need to make significant moves to upgrade the pitching staff. But everything else we know about the club says it will likely hold on to its best prospects.

Plus, real talk about Kyle Bradish, a breakout international prospect and an Adley Rutschman nugget.

The Orioles have six players spread between the big club and Norfolk capable of playing in an MLB outfield. Two prospects are on the cusp of joining that group.

Plus: Reading between the lines with Scott Boras and wading into the Joey Ortiz discourse.

The rotation that remains intact compares favorably to the one that helped this team win 101 games and a division title a season ago.