Orioles acquire Meredith for Salazar

July 21, 10:08 AMMLB ExaminerAlex Brown

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AP Photo/Gail Burton

The Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres hooked up in a deal Sunday, with the Orioles sending infielder Oscar Salazar to San Diego for right-handed reliever Cla Meredith.  This deal is puzzling to me – Salazar was recently designated for assignment by the Orioles, and Meredith seemed to be a valuable trade chip for the Padres. 

Oscar Salazar is a 31-year old utility infielder who has hit decently in limited time in the majors but doesn’t field any position very well.  He’s a decent bat to have off the bench in the National League due to his versatility, but I wouldn’t exactly think of him as a highly coveted player.  Adding on to that is the fact that he was recently designated for assignment by the Orioles – which would seemingly force their hand.  The Padres should have been able to acquire him for very little, or simply hope that he declined his minor league assignment and became a free agent.  If I were to calculate Salazar’s value, I would have put it at a low level minor leaguer or simply the cost of his services.

Cla Meredith is a 26-year old submarine throwing reliever, acquired by the Padres when Boston got desperate to have Doug Mirabelli back.  He had an excellent 2006, registering a 1.07 ERA.  Since that year his walks per nine innings have gone up (1.9, 3.1, 3.2) and his ERA has followed suit (3.50, 4.09, 4.17).  Despite the negative statistical trend, Meredith is still a solid reliever who should have netted more in a trade than Oscar Salazar.

The Orioles did an excellent job in this deal.  By acquiring Meredith, it makes it much easier to deal a reliever like Danys Baez or George Sherrill – both of whom could command a nice return from a contending team.  On the other hand, who on earth is running the Padres?  Relievers are a valued commodity in major league baseball, especially amongst contending teams at the trading deadline.  What’s next for the Padres?  Heath Bell for Ronnie Belliard?