One of the more coveted power bats on the free-agent market has found a new home. Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O’Hearn was dealt to the San Diego Padres, along with Ramon Laureano, per multiple reports.
The return for Baltimore is not yet clear.
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O’Hearn, 31, is enjoying arguably the best season of his career. The slugging first baseman and designated hitter is slashing .284/.375/.452 with 12 home runs. That performance earned O’Hearn his first All-Star nod in July. He started the contest for the American League, going 0-for-2 in the National League’s win.
It has been quite a road for O’Hearn to reach this point. After an excellent rookie season with the Kansas City Royals in 2018, in which he slashed .262/.353/.597 in 44 games, O’Hearn saw his numbers crater. He hit just .211/.282/.351 over his next four seasons, and it looked like his major-league career was in jeopardy.
But a 2023 trade to the Orioles resurrected his numbers. Utilized as a platoon player, O’Hearn hit .275/.329/.450 in his first two years in Baltimore, and his slugging numbers might’ve been better over that period if not for the Orioles’ raised outfield wall in 2024. The team reverted that change for the 2025 season, and then O’Hearn’s home slugging numbers took a big step forward.
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O’Hearn was far from the biggest name on this year’s trade market. Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor and even Luis Robert Jr. have overshadowed O’Hearn’s production in recent seasons. But of that group, only Suarez has a higher wRC+ in 2025. Because of that, O’Hearn could prove to be an underrated trade-deadline acquisition.
If O’Hearn’s production can carry over to the Padres, he stands to benefit quite a bit. He’ll be a free agent at the end of this season and could earn himself a significant payday if he can continue to excel on a national stage.
This breaking news story will be updated.