The Baltimore Orioles have acquired 27-year old lefty swinging 2B/3B/SS Josh Horton from the Oakland A’s for either a player to be named later or cash considerations.  Horton played in 16 games in AAA-ball for the A’s this year and he was 15 for 67 (.224 avg, .620 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs.  He has now played in 578 games in his first seven years in the minors and he is 612 of 2,233 (.274 avg, .719 OPS) with 309 runs scored, 25 homers, 260 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  Horton might get his first shot at the show at some point in 2013, as 2B has been a black hole for the Orioles so far this year.

The Orioles have acquired 28-year old righty swinging 3B/SS Brandon Wood from the Royals for cash considerations.  Wood played in 16 games in AAA-ball for the Royals this year and he was 14 of 53 (.264 avg, .700 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs.  Wood last played in the majors back in 2011 with the Angels and Pirates.  Wood has played in 272 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 130 of 700 (.186 avg, .513 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 18 homers, 64 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Wood has whiffed 218 times while only walking 32 times so far in his major league career.  Wood will have to play really well in AAA to get a shot at some point in 2013 with the Orioles.  He was once one of the most highly thought of prospects in all of baseball, so he could potentially be a late bloomer.

The Orioles have acquired 32-year old righty swinging catcher Chris Snyder from the Angels for 28-year old righty reliever Rob Delaney.  Snyder played in 21 games in AAA-ball for the D-Backs this year and he was 27 for 79 (.342 avg, 1.072 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 7 homers and 21 RBIs.  He has played in 706 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 465 of 2,067 (.225 avg, .714 OPS) with 227 runs scored, 77 homers and 297 RBIs.  Delaney pitched in 3 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Orioles this year and he was 0-1 with a 10.12 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP.  He has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-0 with a 10.50 ERA and a 2.33 WHIP.  This was a great move for the Orioles as Snyder will be Matt Wieters’ new backup.  Snyder will get the chance to keep the backup job if he plays well while Taylor Teagarden is out of action.

The Orioles have dealt 35-year old righty reliever Luis Ayala to the Atlanta Braves for 24-year old lefty reliever Chris Jones.  Ayala pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Orioles this year and he was 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP.  Ayala pitched in 68 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Orioles and he was 6-5 with 1 save, a 2.81 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.  Jones pitched in 1 game (0 starts) in AA-ball for the Braves this year and he was 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP.  Jones has now pitched in 156 games (24 starts) in his first seven years in the minors and he is 24-20 with 5 saves, a 3.58 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.  This deal was more about opening a roster spot for 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Chris Dickerson, who was called up to replace Ayala on the active roster, than getting true value back from the Braves.  Dickerson has played in 6 games in AAA-ball for the Orioles this year and he was 3 for 15 (.200 avg, .627 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI.  Dickerson has played in 258 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 138 of 518 (.266 avg, .760 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 11 homers, 47 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.

The Orioles have acquired 36-year old righty reliever Scott Proctor from the Giants for cash considerations.  Proctor pitched in Korea last year.  He last pitched in the majors back in 2011 for the Yankees and Braves working in 39 games (0 starts) in which he was 2-6 with a 7.14 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP.  Proctor has now pitched in 307 games (1 start) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 18-16 with 1 save, a 4.78 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Proctor will get a shot to help the Orioles at some point in 2013.

The Orioles have acquired 28-year old righty reliever Jairo Asencio from the Brewers for a player to be named later or cash.  He pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Cubs and Indians last year and he was 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.  Asencio has now pitched in 39 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.  Asencio will start the 2013 season in the minors for the Orioles.

The Orioles have dealt 26-year old righty swinging 1B Mike Flacco to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.  Flacco played in 107 games in A+AA-ball last year and he was 76 of 355 (.214 avg, .613 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 8 homers, 35 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  He has now played in 353 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 313 of 1,236 (.253 avg, .713 OPS) with 156 runs scored, 21 homers, 159 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.  The kicker here for Baltimore fans is that Mike is Joe Flacco’s (Ravens’ starting QB) brother.  That being said, they won’t miss him one bit moving forward.

The Orioles have acquired 25-year old righty swinging infielder Yamaico Navarro from the Pirates for 19-year old righty starting pitcher Jhondaniel Medina. Navarro played in 29 games for the Pirates last year and he was 8 for 50 (.160 avg, .452 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. He has now played in 71 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 29 for 152 (.191 avg, .494 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers and 18 RBIs. Medina pitched in 11 games (7 starts) in Rookie+A-ball for the Orioles last year and he was 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Navarro will get a shot next spring to win a job on the Orioles’ bench. He can handle playing anywhere defensively in the infield, which will increase his chances to making the team.

The Orioles have acquired 28-year old righty swinging 3B Danny Valencia from the Red Sox for cash considerations. Valencia played in 44 games for the Twins and Red Sox last year in which he was 29 for 154 (.188 avg, .497 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 3 homers and 21 RBIs. He has now played in 283 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 261 of 1,017 (.257 avg, .686 OPS) with 107 runs scored, 25 homers, 133 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Valencia is going to have a good shot to make the Orioles as a bench player next spring.

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired 25-year old switch-hitting outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the Mariners for 28-year old righty swinging infielder Robert Andino. Robinson played in 46 games for the Mariners last year and he was 32 for 145 (.221 avg, .618 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 3 homers, 12 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He has now played in 90 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 62 for 288 (.215 avg, .602 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 5 homers, 26 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Robinson will have a good shot of winning a bench job for the Orioles for 2013 as he can play anywhere in the outfield. Robert Andino played in 127 games for the Orioles last year and he was 81 of 384 (.211 avg, .588 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 7 homers, 28 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He played in 360 games in his four years with the Orioles and he was 263 of 1,100 (.239 avg, .629 OPS) with 141 runs scored, 16 homers, 80 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. The Orioles will replace Andino in either free agency or another deal.