The midseason deadline for making trades without waivers is just hours away and the Orioles remain in the clutches of counterintuition.
By all accounts – except maybe Buck Showalter's public statements on the subject – they are badly in need of one more starting pitcher, but the only really believable trade rumor linked to them over the past couple of weeks involved then-San Diego Padres outfielder Melvin Upton.
The Orioles don't need another hitter, though they certainly need to start hitting. They've been mired in an offensive funk since before the All-Star break and everyone at the heart of the batting order has joined in the three weeks of frustration.