Baltimore Orioles Facing Potential Trade Decision on 24 Year-Old Infielder

When the Baltimore Orioles selected Coby Mayo, an infielder out of the University of Florida in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB Draft, they knew they were getting a serious power bat.

Mayo would shoot up the prospect rankings for Baltimore, as he was the 14th best prospect in baseball at one point heading into the 2025 season according to MLB.com pipeline. 

The infielder has raw power that you cannot teach, and absolutely tore up the minor leagues prior to his arrival in Baltimore. With a career .906 OPS in 435 appearances in the minors, Mayo has nothing else to prove at that level. The next step for him is to put together a strong sophomore campaign, as he's expected to be the teams' everyday third baseman with Jordan Westburg sidelined with injury. 

What could be the biggest stretch of Mayo's career will greatly affect what his future looks like in Baltimore. 

 When Mayo made his big league debut in August of 2024, the expectation was that he could provide a spark of offense for Baltimore's derailing offense. At this time, Westburg was out for a few months as he fractured his hand, so the spotlight was even brighter on Mayo to perform well. 

Unfortunately for Mayo, the lights would prove to be too bright as he got off to a really slow start in his big league career, posting a .098/.196/.098 slash-line and a -0.7 WAR in 46 plate appearances. Mayo would only appear in 17 games in 2024, as he simply wasn't ready to hit big league pitching. 

Mayo's 2025 campaign would be much improved from his 2024, but he would still struggle nonetheless. In 85 games, Mayo had a .217/.299/.388 slash-line with 11 home-runs and 28 RBI's. Mayo would display his power throughout the season, but would still struggle with consistent contact and defense, especially at the hot corner. 

Although Mayo's OPS would remain under .700, he had multiple stretches during the season where he would post elite numbers. In September, Mayo had a .301/.393/.548 slash-line (.941 OPS) with five home-runs and eight RBI's in 73 at-bats. Seeing Mayo capable of stringing together a month of ELITE play makes me feel that much more confident in him heading into this season. 

A wise man once said, "it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish." 

Mayo has thrived so far in spring training, as he's 8-for-21  (.421 BA) with three doubles, five RBI's and a .960 OPS in eight games. Mayo seems to have improved his glove over at third base, however, hiss throwing accuracy still remains an issue. If Mayo's throwing concerns grow stronger, Baltimore may have to find a backup plan to find him at-bats. 

With Mayo piecing together a strong finish to last season and a great start to spring training, Baltimore MUST find a way to get him consistent at-bats. I

However, if Mayo can't continue is strong play in the regular season, his career in Baltimore could be seriously reflected on.