Orioles acquire Alejandro de Aza

[Malike]

Were they listening to me? No, but it's nice to see they were still looking for a LH bat.

Of note, his splits in 2014 are extreme. His split vs RHP is about at career average (.279/.347/.410) but he is OPSing .305 vs LHP. That's in 82 plate appearances. 305. He should not see a single PA vs a lefty moving forward this year, and he will do fine.

Small quibble, De Aza won't be a FA. He's arb eligible next year.

[Malike]

I had De Aza on my fantasy squad for the first few weeks of the season before trading him. I sold him high, as he hit 4 HR in the first two games. He's hit only one HR since.

I guess it is a good move depthwise, but this doesn't mean we should start printing World Series tickets yet.

Yeah, he hasn't homered since June 6. He's got 35 HR in 7 years.

[Fan4Life]

Yeah, that exactly what DD said. Plus he wants a lot of depth.

He also said Berry is an option for the playoffs as well. It isn't an "Either Or", it's an "And".

[Fan4Life]

Yeah, that exactly what DD said. Plus he wants a lot of depth.

De Aza is a better hitter than Lough even in a down year, and he basically does everything else that lough does. Clearly they are not happy with Lough. He's the guy Lough was supposed to be.

For me, I think it is as simple as he hits RH'ers and when we need that option, now we have it. Anything else is / could be a bonus.

[EagleOriole]

Yeah, he hasn't homered since June 6. He's got 35 HR in 7 years.

Why are you so focused on HRs? He is not a home run hitter and we lead the league in home runs. That is not why we acquired him.

We acquired him because over the past few months he is putting up:

.355/.423/.540

.263/.333/.355

.286/.337/.377

post all star: .280/.339

He hits decently. He gets on base better than most of our players. He plays a decent LF (better than Cruz and Young).

He has a year left under arbitration. He could wind up being a platoon LF for us next year. This is a good deal with little given up. NO ONE would have missed Blackmar before this year (and he has had a very good year). We have tons of mid-tier pitching depth.

We are trying to win a championship. This is how it is done.

[LoyalBirdFan]

Why are you so focused on HRs? He is not a home run hitter and we lead the league in home runs. That is not why we acquired him.

We acquired him because over the past few months he is putting up:

.355/.423/.540

.263/.333/.355

.286/.337/.377

post all star: .280/.339

He hits decently. He gets on base better than most of our players. He plays a decent LF (better than Cruz and Young).

He has a year left under arbitration. He could wind up being a platoon LF for us next year. This is a good deal with little given up. NO ONE would have missed Blackmar before this year (and he has had a very good year). We have tons of mid-tier pitching depth.

We are trying to win a championship. This is how it is done.

Good post, plus he's a lefty...

[Ruzious]

Duquette in booth on broadcast just mentioned him as a CF option as well. Says big thing he can do is get on base and steal a base, and matches up well agains September and playoff projected opposing starters.

Well, he said he's PRIMARILY a LFer who can play a little CF and is not an option at RF. I take it that he does not have a good arm.

[weams]

Well, he said he's PRIMARILY a LFer who can play a little CF and is not an option at RF. I take it that he does not have a good arm.

I would say that sounds right. A Nate McLouth type.

http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2014/05/12/a-once-promising-surprise-alejandro-de-aza-has-become-a-liability-for-the-chicago-white-sox/

De Aza’s arm strength, which has been a problem ever since he joined the club, has not improved.

[weams]

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West Coast Turn Around.

TWTW

[weams]

"Try to find who else potentially could fit in with what we are building here," Hahn said. "The motivation behind this not only being the two arms that we received back, both of them we believe have a fair amount of upside and add to our pitching depth, but also as with the Beckham move, to free up not only a little bit of salary flexibility going forward, but also some playing time for some of the younger guys over the last few weeks of the season."

Money and prospect evaluation.

[LoyalBirdFan]

Money and prospect evaluation.

They made a good trade.

[Ripken]

Yeah exactly. It's..

"Hey Buck do you have a lefty bat you like in particular from the minors that you'd want to bring up for September? No? Alright, well here's a ML caliber lefty bat that has some pop and some positional flexibility. Do what you will with him. Or do nothing with him. But you won't be short handed."

Honestly, I'm not sure how folks can disagree with this. And we gave up very little. I have not liked the Lough trade from the beginning. Like this move very much.

[weams]

Honestly, I'm not sure how folks can disagree with this. And we gave up very little. I have not liked the Lough trade from the beginning. Like this move very much.

We did not really give up anything. You could replace Blackmar in the organization as a minor league free agent. Those guys are there.

RHP Mark Blackmar

Fastball: 88-90

Breaking Pitch: 80-82

Final Line: 2 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 4 K

Blackmar has a wide frame and a similarly high 3/4 release. His delivery looks like the arm will be lower but he lifts his torso before release, limiting his extension. The delivery looked out of whack for the duration of the outing, with his front side consistently leaking to first base. The mechanics looked better in the stretch, but he was never able to command the considerable run on his fastball. His delivery and pitch arsenal means that his career will likely be in the bullpen, but there are serious delivery issues to correct.

[Ruzious]

I just don't see a significant improvement over Lough. .743 vs .685 lifetime against righties, but that's offset by Lough's better defense. But as was said, Dan thinks De Aza matches up well against pitchers the O's will see in September. Hopefully, the mover works out well.

I would NOT be enthusiastic about keeping De Aza next season - based on what Cubs fans have said about him.

[Ruzious]

I just don't see a significant improvement over Lough. .743 vs .685 lifetime against righties, but that's offset by Lough's better defense. But as was said, Dan thinks De Aza matches up well against pitchers the O's will see in September. Hopefully, the mover works out well.

I would NOT be enthusiastic about keeping De Aza next season - based on what Cubs fans have said about him.

And White Sox fans.