The AL East is far more attainable than it has been in recent memory, and as of now, it's the only division in baseball in which every team is within ten games of first place. The Yankees currently lead the race with a record of 51-41, which places the Orioles, who are 46-46, just five games back. Even with a record of .500, it seems that they've run into some bad luck this season, as their Pythagorean W-L would have them tied with New York.
However the Orioles seemingly don't feel comfortable waiting for things to turn around on their own, and they're looking to make an upgrade. That's not surprising by itself, as most contenders try to fine tune their roster for the playoff push, but it is somewhat of a shock to see Kevin Gausman as someone that the Orioles would be willing to part with.
The Orioles appear to be willing to talk about former first-round pick Kevin Gausman in possible trades,as they look for ways to get better.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 22, 2015
Gausman was their first round pick in 2012, and has tremendous value. His ERA in 2015 is an ugly 5.00, but he has a much lower FIP of 3.88, and his SIERA is even better at 3.70. While neither of those values are excellent, they are above average, and with Gausman's repetoire of pitches, which includes a fastball that has been clocked as high as 101.3 MPH, it's unexpected to see his name come up as trade bait.
According to FanGraphs, the Orioles biggest need is interestingly enough their rotation, which Gausman could step into. However instead, he's been used as both a starter and a reliever, all while being shuffled between AAA and the majors. It would appear from the outside as if the Orioles aren't completely comfortable with Gausman, and would be willing to part ways with him because of it. If they are looking for starting pitching, it would seem as though the newly for sale Oakland Athletics would be a perfect match.
If Billy Beane is officially ready to start selling, then Baltimore should pick up the phone and ask about Scott Kazmir. He's had a fantastic season, and could be the answer they're looking for to fix their subpar rotation. There would likely need to be more in a deal than just a straight swap of Kazmir for Gausman, but Beane might be interested in adding the flame throwing righty to his long term rotation.
The trade market has yet to develop, but now that more teams are open for business, and teams are letting it be known who is and isn't available, there should finally start to be some traction on trade rumors.