The Orioles lead the American League with a 26-13 record, putting them half a game above the Yankees at the top of the AL East. Baltimore again looks like one of the best teams in the league and is trending towards buying at the deadline. One area that could be a priority this summer: fortifying the back of the bullpen. Baltimore lost star closer to Tommy John surgery last fall. They signed their only major league free agent pickup of the winter to a $13MM deal to solidify the ninth inning. That hasnt worked out quite the way the front office envisioned. Kimbrel has run into recent struggles that put his status as closer into question. Baltimore used Kimbrel in the seventh inning in last Fridays win over the Diamondbacks. Manager Brandon Hyde was after that game about whether that signified a permanent role change for the nine-time All-Star. The Os havent had a save situation since then, though they used in the top of the ninth in a tied game (a situation in which a team typically calls on its closer) on Saturday. Kimbrel threw a scorele s 11th inning in that contest and got the win when the Orioles walked off in the bottom half. There are more than two months for Kimbrel to pitch his way back into the ninth inning before the deadline. Still, the situation is flexible enough that the Orioles could consider alternatives if the veterans performance remains uneven. To that end, wrote over the weekend the Os will monitor the status of established closers like , and . All three players are theoretical deadline trade po sibilities, although theyre each on teams that entered the season expecting to contend. The Blue Jays are four games under .500 and sit last in the AL East. The Cardinals are at the bottom of the NL Central with a 16-24 record. At 15-25, the Astros have an even worse mark, though theyre at least ahead of the Angels in their division. None of those clubs are going to start moving veteran players anytime soon. Houston GM Dana Brown recently the po sibility of selling in any capacity, although it seems likely the team would reconsider that approach if they remain well below .500 in July. All three are veteran-laden teams Patty Mills Jersey that surely wont pivot to selling unle s its clear they dont have a path back to competing this year, though. Romano, 31, has operated as Torontos closer for the last three seasons. Hes a two-time All-Star who has saved 36 games in consecutive years. Romano hasnt allowed more than three earned runs per nine in any of the past three seasons. He opened this year on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He was reinstated in mid-April and has worked at his typical velocity (96.5 MPH fastball, 86.4 MPH slider). Romano is playing on a $7.75MM salary and is under arbitration control for one more season. Helsley is also arbitration controlled through 2025. Hes making $3.8MM this year for the Cardinals. The 29-year-old has been one of the games most effective relievers on a rate basis going back to 2022. Helsley owns a 1.65 ERA with a ma sive 36.5% strikeout rate in 120 1/3 innings over the past two-plus seasons. The power righty pairs a fastball that averages more than 99 MPH with an upper-80s slider. After mi sing a good chunk of the 2023 campaign to a forearm strain, Helsley has been healthy this season. He has allowed just three earned runs with 21 strikeouts and two walks over 19 innings. Things have been more rocky for Pre sly, who has surrendered 11 runs (nine earned) in his first 14 1/3 frames. The 35-year-old righty has managed 22 strikeouts with six free pa ses, though, and hes keeping the ball on the ground more than half the time an opponent makes contact. Those secondary marks and Pre slys career track record should lead to plenty of interest if the Astros get to a point where theyd seriously consider moving him at the deadline. Pre sly has worked in a setup capacity to this year; he saved more than 30 games in each of the last two seasons. From a financial perspective, Pre sly would be a costlier add than either Romano or Helsley. Hes playing on a $14MM salary and has a matching option for 2025 that would vest if he appears in 50 games this season. Hes at 16 appearances already and looks well on track to triggering that option barring a notable injury. Dominique Wilkins Jersey