Revisiting the Blaze Alexander Trade Way Too Early
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 13: Blaze Alexander #23 of the Baltimore Orioles drives in two runs with a single in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 13, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images Introduction On February 5th, 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen sent fan favorite infielder Blaze Alexander to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for relief pitcher Kade Strowd, along with two minor league prospects, RHP Wellington Aracena and infielder Jose Mejia. It definitely hasn’t been long enough to evaluate this trade fairly, and won’t be for a few years , but I am going to try to do that today anyway.
How’s Blaze doing for the Orioles anyway? Blaze Alexander has appeared in 36 games for the Baltimore Orioles, He’s seen time at every fielding position other than catcher, first base and pitcher, and as a result, his defensive stats have really taken hit. This is pretty clearly demonstrated by his Def stat on Fangraphs (which includes the positional adjustment) going from a positive 2.
7 for the Diamondbacks in 2025 to -2. 7 in 2026. Looking over his advanced fielding stats at each position, Blaze is still an above average fielder at third base, and possibly at the two corner outfield positions, but he’s a well below average fielder anywhere else in the field.
Blaze’s defense would be fine if he was taking steps forward and growing as a hitter, but that’s not what we’ve been seeing through his first 100 plate appearances. He’s hitting . 244/.
299/. 289 with a 70 wRC+, 69 OPS+, and a . 271 wOBA; combined with his defensive decline, that puts his seasons value at -0.