Orioles Claim Daz Cameron off Waivers from Tigers

The Orioles added another player to the outfield group this offseason, claiming Daz Cameron off waivers.

On Wednesday, the Orioles announced that outfielder Daz Cameron was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Low risk waiver claims have certainly been a trend for the Orioles in 2022, and it’s still happening in the offseason. There was no corresponding move required because there were open spots on the 40-man roster.

Cameron is a younger outfielder, currently 25 years old but will be 26 when Spring Training opens in February. He was a first-round draft choice of the Houston Astros in the 2015 draft and was traded to the Tigers in the Justin Verlander deal. He debuted in 2020 and has spent parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues.

Defensively, Cameron has played 48 games in right field, making it the most common spot for him so far. He has played 22 games in center and just one game in left and has played in two games as a DH. He has just one error to his name in the big leagues, so he’s been serviceable on the defensive side.

Unfortunately, Cameron’s bat just isn’t there. He played in 21 games in 2022, hitting .219 with a .286 on base percentage and 619 OPS, adding one home run and three doubles while stealing two bases. He’s just not getting on base enough and doesn’t have the power to compensate for it.

Over his stints in the majors the last three seasons, Cameron has a .201 career average with a .266 on base percentage and .597 OPS. He’s hit five home runs and drove in 24 runs, adding 10 doubles and a pair of triples with nine stolen bases in 244 plate appearances across 73 games.

Cameron comes to the Orioles pretty cheap, as he’s still under team control. He made $700,000 in 2022 and will probably come in pretty close to that for salary in 2023. He isn’t scheduled to hit arbitration until the winter between the 2024 and 2025 season and isn’t scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2027 season.

The ultimate question is where Cameron is going to fit on this roster, if at all. He joins quite a crowded outfield picture, so something’s gotta give. Currently, the new arrival joins Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Ryan McKenna, Kyle Stowers, Yusniel Diaz, and Jake Cave on the 40-man, making that eight outfielders, with Terrin Vavra also able to play the outfield.

Cameron is out of options, so he will have to stay on the 40-man roster throughout the winter or be exposed to waivers once again.