KNEE-JERK REACTIONS: O’s Trade for Steve Pearce

The O’s traded minor league catcher Jonah Heim to Tampa Bay for Steve Pearce. ESR staff react to the trade:

Derek Arnold

Love it. I’ve been asking for this one for a couple weeks now. Pearce crushes left-handed pitching, and the O’s need somebody else who fits that bill with Joey Rickard out for at least another month. Aside from that, Pearce is a super utility guy who can actually hit (unlike Ryan Flaherty), and solidifies the Birds’ bench.

Many keep asking if he can pitch now – to them I say: did you SEE the offense last month? This team didn’t only need pitching, they absolutely needed another bat. Now, they got it.

Welcome back, Stevie Wayne!

Andrew Stetka

This trade makes no sense to me. If the Orioles wanted Steve Pearce on their roster, they could’ve gotten him…this past winter…by signing him. Now they’ve given up a prospect for a 33-year-old who doesn’t appear to fit perfectly on the roster. Does this spell the end for Pedro Alvarez? Who does Pearce take away at-bats from? This is one of the more perplexing moves I’ve seen. Dan Duquette’s ability to hand over prospects (and draft picks for that matter) baffles me.

Ryan Blake

Just when I was getting upset that the 4 PM deadline was approaching and the Orioles’ only major acquisition was Wade Miley, news broke that Steve Pearce was coming back to Baltimore and I immediately broke into an ear-to-ear grin. I’m still not sure if that grin was because the acquisition of Pearce might mean less playing time for Ryan Flaherty or because I just love Steve Pearce as a person. His versatility in the field is helpful and his bat has been very solid this year when he’s been healthy.

He’s a guy that will work the count, get on base, and produce runs. I’m excited to have him back in Birdland, especially at the expense of a single minor league catcher without much of a bat.

Jonathan French

Steve Pearce is back in the orange and black and it is absolutely the right move for the Orioles. I first suggested the move a few weeks ago when it was made known the Rays were shopping him. With the injury to Joey Rickard, and the recent poor performance of Nolan Reimold, the Orioles needed a dependable bat for the corner OF spots who could hit LHP and was also a solid defender. Pearce checks both boxes and then some.

Pearce has a wRC+ of 227 against LHP in 2016, which leads MLB as does his .502 wOBA. For all the lefties the Orioles will face down the stretch, he’ll be an absolute weapon. With Pearce and Hyun Soo Kim and his .392 wOBA and 146 wRC+ vs RHP, the Orioles now have one of the the best hitting left field combinations in MLB if they choose to utilize the platoon. Pearce will also likely get time as a defensive replacement for Mark Trumbo against RHP as he has a career +5 DRS in his limited time in RF. Of course Pearce can play first base, and third base as well and can even play a passable second base so the Orioles will likely move him around some as they did before, but my guess is they will have him in the OF primarily even though he hasn’t played there this season for the Rays.

The cost was Jonah Heim, a 21-year-old catching prospect, but Heim was known primarily for his defense and had multiple catchers in front of him. Defense-first catchers also aren’t exactly a hard thing to find, while opportunities to win a World Series don’t come around that often. It was clear that the future of Heim, as bright as it may be, was worth trading to reinforce the Orioles lineup and bench to take a shot at the winning the whole thing.

Josh Sroka

This is a tough one for me, because it’s the first time I look at a trade as people instead of pieces. As you may know, Jonah and the entire Heim family have been great friends of Section 336 and I hate to see him leave the organization. My hope is that this gives Jonah a quicker path to the big leagues. As far as Steve Pearce, it’s great that he is back – he was a fan favorite and will do a good job helping our outfield and he is having a decent year at the plate as well. Welcome home Steve Pearce. Good luck Jonah Heim, we will still be watching.

Joel Katz

The Steve Pearce buzzer-beater deal makes me happy on a number of levels. First and foremost, he brings a platoon bat that will be a fantastic fit for our lineup (which is badly in need of hitters who can get on base).

Between Pearce and Kim, we have a dangerous combination of hitters who further solidify the lineup. Overall, Pearce is slashing .309/.388/.520 (.908 OPS), but vs. LHP he’s at .377/.476/.736 (1.212 OS).

Further, the price tag for Pearce seems reasonable – he is a rental player on an inexpensive contract, and the Orioles only had to give up a catching prospect (where they have a surplus of talent). Finally, Pearce is guaranteed to be a solid clubhouse presence – and something about Pearce returning to the O’s for a playoff run just feels “right”.

We’ll always have the memory of Pearce catching the final out of the AL East “Clinchmas” game in 2014, and I’m very excited for @WayneTwentyOcho to make new memories for the O’s in 2016. On behalf of Birdland, welcome back to Baltimore, Steve – we’ve missed you!

Joe Polek

Most fans are thrilled to have Steve Pearce back in Baltimore. He is a favorite of Buck, he hustles, gives his all, and is a good player. He is an upgrade over Rickard and Reimold. He also gives the Orioles some much needed help off the bench that they didn’t have. Yes, they could have just re-signed him over the winter, but we all make mistakes. They are fixing this one.