Taken on its own merits, the Orioles' Friday night deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that sent outfielder Hyun Soo Kim away and brought back right-hander Jeremy Hellickson simply doesn't feel like a piece of business to be considered outside of a larger picture — albeit one that's not clear yet.
At 48-54, the Orioles are 6½ games out of a playoff spot with seven teams above them in the wild-card standings. Most indications have been they're trying to maximize the value of their top relievers in hopes of netting a haul like the New York Yankees got last season for Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman, something that can help remake the team for 2018 on the fly.