Orioles Acquire Dwight Smith, Designate Josh Osich
The Orioles have acquired outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. from the Blue Jays, the Baltimore organization announced. International pool money will go to Toronto in return, with Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports tweeting the Jays will pick up half a million dollars in spending capacity. The O’s designated lefty Josh Osich to open a 40-man roster spot.
With the move, the O’s add an optionable 26-year-old player who has hit well in 104 MLB plate appearances. He owns a solid (albeit modest) .271/.354/.401 batting line in his 810 trips to the plate at the highest level of the minors. A left-handed hitting outfielder who can at least serve as a reserve in center.
It seems the Baltimore org had some competition for Smith, who was recently designated for assignment. The cost is relatively stout for an acquisition of a player out of DFA limbo. $500K in international spending availability is nothing to sneeze at in a world where hard caps tamp down the overall outlay. In this case, the O’s likely did not feel they had terribly productive places to invest their leftover funds, which were accumulated in an ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of top young international free agents Victor Victor Mesa and Sandy Gaston.
As for Osich, he’s the second southpaw removed from the Baltimore 40-man in recent days. The club lost Donnie Hart on waivers; it remains to be seen whether Osich will pass through. Now 30 years of age, Osich is looking to regain his form after a series of rough campaigns. He owns a 5.01 ERA with 7.9 K/9, 4.6 K/9, and a 51.8% groundball rate in 120 1/3 career innings in the majors.
Blue Jays Designate Dwight Smith Jr., Announce Buchholz Signing
The Blue Jays have announced a pair of corresponding transactions. Outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. was designated for assignment in order to clear roster space for righty Clay Buchholz, whose previously reported deal is now official.
Smith, 26, has spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A, where he carries a .271/.354/.401 slash with 14 home runs over 810 plate appearances. Notably, the left-handed-hitter has shown good plate discipline, with a combination of 91 walks and 124 strikeouts at the highest level of the minors.
It’s hardly a world-beating profile for a player who has mostly lined up in left field. But Smith has performed well in his limited opportunities at the game’s highest level, even if it’s hard to glean much from 104 plate appearances. And he has logged significant innings at the other two outfield spots, increasing his viability as a big-league bench option. With an option season still remaining, perhaps another organization will see cause to work out a trade or put in a claim.