The Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday acquired outfielder Travis Snider from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a minor-league pitcher and a player to be named later, according to a team announcement.
Orioles acquire OF Travis Snider from Pirates
Baltimore finally added an outfielder, parting with a minor leaguer and a player to be named later in exchange for a productive hitter entering his prime.
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
The addition of Snider gives the Orioles ... well, first and foremost, an outfielder, which is good because they had only three on their roster entering the day. But Snider’s arrival could also give Baltimore something else it is lacking: pop.
Snider hit .264/.338/.438, good for a career-best 121 wRC+, for the Pirates in 2014. While certainly not an earth-shattering line, it’s easy to forget that Snider, who seemingly has been around forever, is only 26. He’s far removed from his days of being top-10 overall prospect in the game, but it appears some of that talent is beginning to surface.
The well-above-average batting line posted by Snider last season was backed up by much-improved strikeout and walk rates. For the first time in his career, Snider whiffed in fewer than 20 percent of his plate appearances, a figure made even better by his 9.5 percent walk rate. Both of those numbers are better than league average, and both came in a season that represented Snider’s largest sample size as a big leaguer.
The Orioles could use that kind of production-meets-potential. The team lost Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis -- both above-average hitters in 2014 -- to free agency this offseason.
In return for a productive outfielder who very well might be entering his prime, the Orioles parted with left-hander Stephen Tarpley. A third-round selection in the 2013 draft, Tarpley owns a 3.31 ERA in 87 minor league innings spanning 20 appearances, 19 of which were starts. Tarpley, who has struck out nearly a batter per inning in parts of two professional seasons, was the No. 9 overall prospect in the Orioles organization prior to the trade, according to Baseball Prospectus.
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