Baltimore Orioles: Adding Vidal Nuno helps fill out bullpen

The Baltimore Orioles added a left-handed reliever on Sunday afternoon, acquiring Vidal Nuno from the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitching prospect Ryan Moseley.

According to the team’s official website, the Baltimore Orioles have acquired southpaw reliever Vidal Nuno from the Dodgers. In exchange for the 29-year-old left-hander the Orioles sent back right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Moseley. T.J. McFarland was designated for assignment to make room for Nuno.

Nuno went 1-1 for the Seattle Mariners last year in 55 appearances. He finished the season with a 3.53 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. For his four-year career, Nuno is 5-20 with a 4.02 ERA in 126 appearances and 329.1 innings. He has made 42 starts in the big leagues. Don’t let the ugly win-loss record fool you, Nuno is a quality big-league pitcher.

Moseley was an eighth-round pick last year out of Texas Tech, and made 12 appearances at Single-A Aberdeen last year.

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“Our scouts like how Vidal Nuno competes in the American League and old school baseball people will appreciate how he works fast, throws strikes and changes speeds,” Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. “We look forward to his contributions to the 2017 club.”

Nuno primarily throws a four-seam fastball and a slider. His slider has allowed him to be very effective against lefty hitters during his career. Left-handed batters are batting just .217 against the pitch. Overall, Nuno has held lefties to a .224/.285/.356 line.

For the Orioles, Nuno can offer versatility and better upside than McFarland. He can eat up more than an inning in the middle of a game if the starter is knocked out early. He can step into the rotation in a pinch, or just help Donnie Hart in handling left-handed hitters. The Orioles went through most of the 2017 season without a dedicated left-handed option in the bullpen, and now they may have two.

Next: Previewing the 2017 season

Duquette was said to be seeking left-handed depth for his bullpen, and now he found it at a fairly low price. Nuno will help the club in 2017 in a variety of roles, similar to Vance Worley last season. On the surface, this trade is nothing flashy, but these under-the-radar moves can go a long way to helping keep a team in contention.