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Why The O's Must Hang On To Trey Mancini At The Trade Deadline

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Before we know it, the MLB trade deadline will be upon us.

The Orioles rookie General Manager Mike Elias has made it very clear that he plans to rebuild the team through young prospects.

But there is just one problem facing Elias, he only has one player on his team with any sort of trade value; that is, Trey Mancini.

Mancini is leading the O's in just about every hitting category this year. He leads the team in batting average with an incredible .311 clip. He also leads the team in home runs with 10, and has crossed the plate 30 times thus far.

Not only does Mancini produce at the plate, but he has emerged as the clear team leader after the departure of center fielder Adam Jones this offseason.

Mancini is 27 and has some of his best years ahead of him. But if Elias is looking to acquire young prospects for the O's, Mancini -- who came up through the farm system -- is his only option.

That said, trading Mancini would be yet another huge mistake on the Orioles' end.

Yes, this team is going through a majoring rebuilding phase, but at some point, Elias has to sit back and think about who he is going to build around; and that guy must be Mancini.

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