The Baltimore Orioles catapulted themselves into the playoff picture just before the All-Star break, running off ten straight wins to improve their record from 35-44 on July 2 to 45-44, the latest they’ve been above .500 since September 2017.

Top prospect Adley Rutschman is already among the best catchers in all of baseball after just over 50 games at the big league level, and the team is receiving stunning contributions from their bullpen.

Most notably (and shockingly) from relievers Cionel Perez (1.35 ERA), Dillon Tate (2.28 ERA), Joey Krehbiel (2.45), and Keegan Akin (2.40).

Baltimore’s farm system is among the best in the game and is already producing results with more talent on the way.

But they weren’t supposed to be this good this soon.

After only 52 wins in 2021, the Orioles were expected to essentially tread water yet again at the big league level, seeing marginal improvement as their more premier prospects graduated to Camden Yards.

Outfielders Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, along with 1B/DH Trey Mancini were expected to be on the trade block and bring more youth to Baltimore as the Orioles prepared to unleash their first wave of talent at the end 2022 and beginning of 2023.

But after today’s 3-0 win against Tampa Bay, the Orioles are still one game above .500 at 50-49, 16.0 GB in the AL East but only 3 GB from the final Wild Card spot.

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros – a bonafide World Series contender with weaknesses in center field, first base, and backup catcher – are open to shopping a young, controllable starter with years of team control along with other pieces for solutions to their standing issues.

It’s been reported that Houston’s starter tonight, RHP Jose Urquidy, is the arm most likely to be shopped.

Now, consider also that Baltimore’s general manager, Mike Elias, came to Charm City in 2018 from… the Houston Astros!

Elias had a heavy hand in the signing, drafting, and development of many of Houston’s core stars, and Urquidy is one of them, having signed with Houston in 2015 as an international free agent out of Mexico.

The Orioles need to keep the course of their ascent steady without compromising it to try and capitalize on a short-term dream of suddenly becoming a playoff team a year or two early.

Baltimore is still sporting a -4 run differential and, according to FanGraphs, are still expected to finish 77-85 on the season, with a run differential of -43.

Expectations should be tempered, even if 77-85 is a massive improvement over 2021.

The Astros and Orioles make natural allies in their individual causes.

Mullins and Mancini are perfect fits for Houston, productive veterans with years of team control remaining, with Mullins controllable through 2025 and Mancini controlled for another 1.5 years.

Meanwhile, the Orioles could target a young, controllable starter through ’25 in Urquidy to plug into their rotation, as well as other meaningful pieces to round out a blockbuster that would be easy to conceive.

A trade with Baltimore sending Mullins and Mancini to Houston for Urquidy, OF Chas McCormick, and minor league right-handers Hunter Brown and Peter Solomon would be fair value for both parties and give them both a leg up on their respective missions for 2022 and beyond.

Urquidy is in the midst of a 9-4 season with a 3.93 ERA and the 12th-lowest walk rate among qualified starters (5.2%) entering play today. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason.

McCormick isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2024 and is in the midst of a productive, unspectacular season, producing an OPS+ of 107 with a .229/.316/.417 slash line and 112 wRC+.

McCormick brings above-average speed, good defense (despite some slight downticks this season), and an ability to hit to all fields.

The 25-year-old Solomon is on the 40-man roster and debuted in 2021 at the big league level to decent results through 14.0 innings.

This season has been a mixed bag for Solomon at Triple-A, but he could make a more-than-decent long reliever for a surprising Orioles team with nothing to lose.

Brown is Houston’s top prospect and is dominating at Triple-A, blocked from Houston due to the glut of pitchers ahead of him who are thus far rolling through the 2022 season.

Brown is sporting a tidy 2.62 ERA through 75.2 innings with 101 strikeouts and a 2.97 SO/BB ratio.

The Orioles, like any rising team, will always prioritize pitching, and the Astros need to shore up their offense.

Elias knows Houston’s system intimately and would no doubt use that knowledge to pry lose the kind of players his organization needs and in exchange for veteran pieces who very likely do not fit into Baltimore’s long-term plans with OF Colton Cowser and others looking to supplant them as early as 2023.

The Astros and Orioles are natural partners who could easily satisfy the other team’s appetites. For all we know, a deal is moments away.