It’s the first idle date of the 2015 season for the Baltimore Orioles, but don’t for a second think that means Dealin’ Dan Duquette is taking the day off.
Thursday afternoon, the O’s first quietly released catcher J.P. Arencibia, who was part of a Norfolk roster that included four backstops.
They then completed a deal that sent previously DFA’d Ryan Webb to the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with minor league catcher Brian Ward and their 2015 competitive balance draft pick (#74 overall). The inclusion of that draft pick had the O’s twittersphere a bit abuzz with anticipation of what may be coming back from L.A., but in the end, the return was a bit disappointing.
The Dodgers sent the Birds catcher Chris O’Brien and right-handed pitcher Ben Rowen.
Rowen, 26, is a career minor-leaguer who had been in the Texas Rangers organization before being signed to a minor league deal by L.A. this winter. He had a cup of tea in the majors for Texas in 2014, allowing four ER in 8 2/3 IP, with seven strikeouts and four walks.
Hey, submariners that used to pitch for the Rangers have worked out pretty well here in the recent past, haven’t they?
O’Brien, 25, the son of former major league catcher Charlie O’Brien, is a catcher that has never made it above AA ball.
The Dodgers are also taking all of Webb’s $2.75M contract. So that’s…good, I guess?
In the end, the Birds traded an MLB-caliber relief pitcher and a backup catcher for a potentially MLB-caliber relief pitcher and a backup catcher…and threw in a draft pick, why? That’s the strange part, honestly. I’ve been defending the organization against those who continue to accuse Peter Angelos & Co. of being cheap here lately, but if they gave up a draft pick just to clear under $3M from the books, it’s a bit concerning.
On the other hand, the O’s still have four of the first 102 picks in the 2015 draft. That’s good, but it’s not five.
If you want to follow Rowen on Twitter, he’s @b_rowen. O’Brien is @Chris_OBrien22.
