I thought this was an April Fools joke when I first heard of it, but it’s very much true.
It looks like the Orioles have made a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for a guy that knows the American League East all too well as they have traded for Julio Lugo. Remember, he spent the first part of his career with Tampa Bay, and also has spent time with the Red Sox.
Although Lugo’s defense has been questionable over the years, he’s fleet-footed on the bases, has hit for a decent average and shown some power. I certainly would consider Lugo an upgrade over Andino (who is now off the 25-man roster) and certainly is another decent bat coming off the bench.
Meanwhile, it looks like backup catcher Chad Moeller is no long part of the Baltimore organization. Moeller lost his position to rookie Craig Tatum out of camp a few days ago, and he was not happy about it. The Orioles tried to get another team to take him on, but there were no takers.
His value behind the plate came as a tenured veteran, who could help out the young staff and also Matt Wieters. However, the Orioles might have felt now that Matt is to handle things himself and Moeller’s arm behind the plate doesn’t compare to Tatutm’s abilities defensively.
The Orioles have agreed to acquire utility infielder Julio Lugo from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named, a team source confirmed.
The deal, which was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is pending approval by the commissioner’s office. The approval is necessary because Lugo still has $8.6 million left on his contract that’s being paid by the Boston Red Sox, who traded him to the Cardinals last July with Boston assuming all of his contract.
The Orioles will pay Lugo the major league minimum.
Lugo, 34, batted .280 in 293 plate appearances for the Red Sox and Cardinals last year. His addition will give the Orioles insurance for second baseman Brian Roberts, who is trying to play through a herniated disk in his back.
It will also likely cost Robert Andino, the Orioles utility infielder last season, his spot on the Opening Day roster.
The Orioles also granted Chad Moeller‘s request for an outright release today. He becomes a free agent. They had hoped Moeller, who was beaten out by Craig Tatum for the backup catcher job, would be willing to catch at Triple-A Norfolk.
