With plenty of room on their 40-man roster to add players, the Orioles acquired 25-year-old outfielder Jaycob Brugman in a trade with the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.
Brugman, who was designated for assignment by the Athletics on Monday, played 48 major league games for the A's last year, hitting .266/.346/.343 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
The left-handed-hitting Brugman will likely vie to serve as a platoon bat for the Orioles as he attempts to make the Opening Day roster this spring. He hit .280/.364/.368 in 143 major league plate appearances against right-handed pitching while posting just a .167/.211/.167 line against left-handed pitching.
The A's promoted Brugman from Triple-A Nashville in June, then optioned him back to the minors in mid-August, but he didn't return to the majors when rosters expanded in September. He didn't hit well playing in the Arizona Fall League, posting a .182/.341/.242 slash line despite posting a 19.5 percent walk rate.
Brugman was designated for assignment to allocate 40-man roster space to protect players from being selected in next month's Rule 5 draft.
The Orioles had just 33 spots on their 40-man roster filled after adding three players Monday _ right-handers Hunter Harvey and David Hess, and catcher Austin Wynns _ so they have plenty of space to add players.
After ending last season with a right-handed-heavy batting order, the Orioles are focusing on adding more left-handed bats this offseason, so Brugman fits that mold.
