Baltimore Orioles bring Steve Pearce back via trade

The Baltimore Orioles consumated a trade at the deadline yesterday re-acquiring fan favorite utilityman Steve Pearce.

In a stunning move that was announced shortly after the 4 PM trade deadline yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles have re-acquired utilityman Steve Pearce. The Birds sent single-A (Frederick) catcher Jonah Heim to Tampa in exchange for Pearce, who signed with the Orioles’ AL East rival this past off season. So if you’re counting, that’s two trades that Dan Duquette has made while giving away relatively little.

Having said that, I’m a bit unsure what the rationale was on this trade – other than the fact that Pearce is a fan favorite. He was also well-liked in the clubhouse; in short, he fit in very well in Baltimore. It might be fair to say that the O’s can platoon him in the outfield or perhaps give the likes of Davis or Machado a day off here and there (or allow them to DH). However whether the Orioles desperately needed the likes of another bat is another story.

I’m not being totally critical of the trade, because as I said Steve Pearce’s body of work in Baltimore really speaks for itself. His blue collar approach to the game and his behavior in the clubhouse endeared him to fans and teammates alike. Furthermore, whatever the Orioles are building this year is something of which Pearce is very much a part. Because it’s been percolating for a few years; so perhaps it’s fitting that he gets to come back here and hopefully be a part of the next chapter of Orioles Magic.

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So I suppose there are good points and bad points to this. The Birds get a player back who was well-liked by fans and who’s probably very deserving of being a part of the upcoming stretch run. However the goal was to get starting pitching. Now in fairness, the Orioles did that on Sunday when they traded for Wade Miley. But they would have loved to have netted another pitcher yesterday if they had been able.

Dan Duquette believes (and he is correct) that the Orioles are now a stronger and more nimble team with Pearce back in orange and black, as he told the Baltimore media via text (quote courtesy of Roch Kubato, MASNsports):

"Steve Pearce is a proven versatile veteran player who gives our club more punch and stronger defense whenever he is in the lineup and a stronger bench when he is not."

Keep in mind, as I said Duquette is correct in his assessment there. I’m not knocking the re-acquisition of Pearce, I’m only wondering if they perhaps missed an opportunity to add more pitching. It’s also fair to say that they were trying to add pitching, however the trades may just not have worked out.