Baltimore Orioles Hot Stove; Team acquires outfielder Jaycob Brugman

In their second trade of the Hot Stove season, the Baltimore Orioles have made a deal with the Oakland Athletics for Jaycob Brugman.

In exchange, the Baltimore Orioles are promising either cash or good old “PTBNL” (player to be named later).

This trade makes the Orioles one of the busiest teams in the off-season, as many teams have yet to make any moves.

The signing was officially announced by the team via Twitter:

The Orioles have acquired OF Jaycob Brugman from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The 40-man roster is currently at 34 players.

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 22, 2017

Brugman by the numbers

Before being traded by the A’s, Brugman was designated for assignment on Tuesday. Last season, the 25-year old Brugman saw 143 at-bats at the Major League level. He batted .266/.346/.343, with three home runs and 12 runs batted in. Brugman had a batting average of .280 against right-handed pitchers and .167 against lefties.

More from Orioles News

• Which Current Baltimore Orioles Pitchers Have the Best Curveballs?
• Orioles News: Should the O’s Pursue Eovaldi? + More MLB News
• Should the Baltimore Orioles Consider Signing Nathan Eovaldi?
• Orioles News: Predicting the Opening Day Infield and More MLB News
• Last Chance O’s Fans: Bet $40, Win $700 if ONE POINT is Scored in ANY NFL Game This Week

Brugman saw most of his time played in center field with A’s, where he logged 315.2 innings in 2017. He also played 26 innings in left field. Brugman was able to make 100% (five chances) of his routine and likely plays (one chance) in left field. In center field, Brugman made 98.6% of routine plays (70 chances), 66.7% of likely plays (six chances) and 25% of even plays (four chances).

He knows the AL East

Brugman was drafted twice, once after high school by the New York Yankees (in the 39th round of the 2010 MLB Draft) and another time after college by the Athletics (in the 17th round of the 2013 MLB Draft). Before making it to the Major League, Brugman played three seasons in the minors. He made his MLB debut on June 9, 2017 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

How he could fit in the lineup

As of right now, Brugman will most likely be a platoon outfielder. His splits against left-handed pitching doesn’t project well as an everyday starter. The positive thing for him is that he is a lefty. Baltimore needed a left-handed outfielder, after Seth Smith became a free agent. It is also a good thing that he can play all over the outfield and could be a useful utility player there. 

Next: Minors Monday: The details on Austin Hays

However, Brugman will have to compete against Anthony Santander, Austin Hays and Joey Rickard for playing time. He obviously isn’t going to take time away from Trey Mancini, who just finished third-place in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. Due to that, he could start the season down in the minors, as he has options leftover.