RADIO
The Baltimore Orioles have had major setbacks in their outfield this off-season. They were not able to resign Nelson Cruz, who ended up signing with Seattle. They also said goodbye to long time Baltimore staple Nick Markakis, who signed with the Braves. In their first addition to their 2015 outfield, the O's today made a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Travis Snider, in the process sending away Single-A left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley along with a player to be named later.
This move likely pushes David Lough to a fourth outfielder role, as it's assumed Snider will be playing right field primarily. Snider will be playing alongside Adam Jones in center field and Alejandro De Aza in left. The Orioles are hoping Snider will contribute to a team that has plenty of question marks around it after the departures of Cruz and Markakis, along with Manny Machado and Matt Wieters coming back from injuries.
Snider's stock has dropped off since being the 14th overall pick by Toronto in the 2006 draft, but he had his best season in 2014, hitting .264 with 13 HR, 38 RBI and a .776 OPS in 140 games. He also raised his BB% from 8.4% to 9.5% and lowered his K% from 26.3% to 18.7%. This was the first season Snider showed solid progression, and the O's are hoping he can continue on that upward trend.
Snider, who will be playing his age 27 season, was an expendable piece of the Pirates 2015 plans. Moving him leaves the door open for youngster Gregory Polanco to play right field every day. The newly acquired Corey Hart would have also taken some at-bats away from Snider.
As for the Pirates return, Tarpley was recently ranked as the Orioles ninth best prospect by Fangraphs, and has the potential to be a starter in the majors. According to MLB.com, his expected arrival time to the majors is 2017.
This trade seems to work for both teams, as the Orioles will be adding a bat on the rise to their depleted outfield, and the Pirates shed a player from their roster they did not see as part of their future. Snider, who will make $2.1 million in 2015, is arbitration eligible next season before becoming a free agent in 2017.
