“Coming into the year, [there were] high hopes and expectations,” Albernaz said. “Now, you get to the trade deadline, and you lose three great players and three great people that are in that clubhouse…So yeah, it was a tough day.”
While it’s difficult to see each player walk out the door, there’s no doubt that losing catcher Adley Rutschman was the biggest blow. Albernaz knew that he would be highly coveted in trade discussions, but that doesn’t make losing him any easier.
“When teams call, it’s definitely not a shock, you know,” Albernaz explained. “What team wouldn’t want an Adley Rutschman? He’s a special player, special individual; impact player both on and off the field.”
Albernaz also said that Ward “made an impact” as soon as he was traded, Wells “was outstanding for us in the ‘pen in a variety of different roles,” and noted that it was tough to lose a starter like Kremer.
Though longtime members of the Orioles are gone, the team still has an outside chance at a playoff spot. While disappointment is expected in the clubhouse, they ultimately still control their own destiny.
“In that clubhouse, there’s a lot of confidence that we can still make a push here,” said the O’s skipper. “There’s a 50-game sprint to the finish line. What can we do these next 50 games to give ourselves a chance?”
Albernaz didn’t shy away from criticism, either. He took the blame for Baltimore’s lack of success this season, hoping that he can still get this team into playoff position down the stretch.
“I’m the manager of the team, that falls squarely on me,” Albernaz said of the team’s struggles. “That we had to put Mike [Elias, Orioles president of baseball operations] and the front office in that position to feel like they had to make some changes.