Orioles Trade Derrek Lee to Pirates
By Editorial Staff
The Pirates were able to add a much needed bat Saturday evening when they completed a trade with the Orioles that sent first baseman Derrek Lee to Pittsburgh for minor leaguer Aaron Baker.
Baltimore completed its second move of the day, shipping Lee out to likely make room for earlier acquisition Chris Davis at first. In a prior deal, Texas traded Davis and Tommy Hunter to Baltimore for reliever Koji Uehara.
The Orioles signed Lee this offseason to a 1 year $7.25 million deal, hoping the veteran would add a boost to their lineup while filling their gapping whole at first.
Things haven’t gone as planned for the Birds or Lee, who only managed a line of .246/.302/.404 on the year with 12 home runs and 41 RBI’s.
Still, Lee brings veteran leadership and a history of offensive success to one of the worst lineups in the league. Pittsburgh currently ranks 26th in the majors in runs scored and 25th with a team batting average of .243. Pirates first basemen have only posted an OPS of .645 on the year with 8 home runs, numbers Lee himself has already topped in Baltimore.
While the deal was mostly about salary relief for the O’s, Pittsburgh did throw in the first baseman Baker. The 23 year old is in his third season in the minors, where he’s maintained a career line of .263/.344/.452. This year for the Pirates High-A squad Baker had an OPS of .826 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI’s.
For more on the Orioles and Pirates, be sure to check out Birds Watcher and Rum Bunter.