#2. Orioles Trade For Chris Davis (2011)
The Trade:
It isn’t too common to see trades consist of entirely major league talent now a day, but 2011 the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles made a deal that would completely alter both teams short-term future.
The Orioles shipped off respected bullpen arm Koji Uehara to the Rangers for slugger Chris Davis and flame thrower Tommy Hunter.
While Uehara would help the Rangers reach the World Series in 2011, he would only stay in Texas for two seasons as he later joined the Boston Red Sox and was on the mound when they won the world series in 2013.
As for Baltimore, they obtained two players that would help bring playoff baseball back to Camden Yards. Davis became one of baseball’s household names as he led the MLB in home runs with 53 and RBI’s with 138 in 2013 and again one the leagues home run crown in 2015 with 47. Davis was the most feared bat in the lineup in the Orioles 2012, 2014 and 2015 playoff appearances.
Hunter, was a pivotal piece to Baltimore’s bullpen for three seasons. No season of Hunter’s was better than 2014 when he posted a 2.97 ERA to help hand the ball to closer Zack Britton.
While Davis has struggled mightily since signing a long contract extension, the years following the trade were among the best in Orioles history which is why fans still love “Crush” even with his current woes.
This trade will surely go down as one the Orioles will never forget as it helped kick-off an unforgettable era of Orioles baseball.