Orioles To Acquire Christian Franklin

The Orioles are trading for minor league outfielder Christian Franklin from the Nationals, first reported by Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner. Baltimore is sending righty Joe Glassey back to Washington, per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. Franklin was on the Nats’ 40-man roster, which means the Orioles will have to add him to theirs. That shouldn’t be a problem, as the club has multiple openings. It’s the second straight deadline that sees Franklin change teams. He joined the Nats along with Ronny Cruz last July in the deal that sent Michael Soroka to the Cubs. Franklin delivered a 119 wRC+ at Triple-A after joining the organization. He had his contract selected over the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old Franklin has been a league-average bat with Rochester this year. He hit .249 with six homers and 17 stolen bases in 93 games. Franklin has experience at all three outfield spots. He’s primarily played the corners with the Red Wings this season. Given his age and experience at Triple-A, Franklin could make his MLB debut with Baltimore at some point this year. The club could use the final two months of the season to evaluate him at the big-league level. The Orioles have an opening in the outfield with Taylor Ward heading to Seattle. Glassey has intriguing minor league numbers, though he’s already 25 years old and has yet to pitch beyond Double-A. Baltimore signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He put together a 2.00 ERA in 17 appearances in the lower levels of the minors last year. Glassey has continued to limit runs this season, with a 2.64 ERA across 30 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. He has a massive 42.1% strikeout rate in 24 appearances. Washington gets a longshot bullpen piece in the deal, but the club also clears a 40-man roster spot. That could be a factor for future moves as the trade deadline nears. View Comments (13)