Baltimore Orioles acquire Yamaico Navarro for Jhondaniel Medina with Pittsburgh Pirates- MLB News
With the deadline for offering contracts to arbitration eligible players near, the Baltimore Orioles made a number of moves. These include acquiring infielder Yamaico Navarro from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Minor League pitcher Jhondaniel Medina.
The 25-year-old Navarro had a struggle in his Major League career and has so far represented three different ball clubs in three seasons. The Dominican hitter was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox and started playing in their farm system in 2006. He
played for several teams in the Red Sox Minor League System before making it to the Majors.
Navarro made his Major League debut in August of 2010. He managed a .143 batting average with five RBI’s in 42 at-bats in 2010. He had a better year in 2011 when he had a split season between the Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. The player posted a combined
batting average of .250 and with nine RBI’s and a single home-run. Navarro’s form again dipped in 2012 when he had a .160 batting average with just four RBI’s and a single home-run in 50 at-bats for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The player exchanged by the Orioles is the 19-year-old Jhondaniel Medina. He made his professional debut in 2010 and has so far played in only a handful of games. In 2012, he played for Rookie Class Gulf Coast League Orioles and Class Short-Season A Aberdeen
Iron Birds.
The Orioles agreed to terms with arbitration eligible Taylor Teagarden, Alexi Casilla and Steve Pearce for 2012 contracts. Taylor and Steve’s signings comes as a surprise as they were widely expected to be non-tendered. The club also designated Stu Pomeranz
for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Stu was a part of two Minor League teams in the Orioles’ Minor League System in 2012. He represented the Double-A Bowie Bay Sox and Triple-A Norfolk Tides. He also made three appearances in the Major League for the Orioles in 2012, giving away two earned
runs in six innings. His stint was cut short by back and oblique injuries, which ended his season early.
Steve Pearce posted a decent .254 batting average for the O’s with 14 RBI’s and went long thrice in 28 games. Taylor Teagarden’s year was less attractive with a .158 batting average, with nine RBI’s and two home-runs.
Alexi Casilla was a part of the Minnesota Twins for 106 games in 2012. He posted a batting average of .241 with 30 RBI’s and a lone home-run. He did well to get 21 stolen bases and got caught just once. He had a $1.38 million salary in 2012 and could be
one on second base early next season. If Brian Roberts is fit to play, he will likely be used as a utility player.
The Baltimore ball club is trying to find the best combination they can take into the 2013 season and perform well. A couple of decisions made recently may surprise some but the management has a good idea of what exactly they want to achieve and the means
to get to those targets.
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