The Baltimore Orioles have added to their roster in the early offseason. They have taken a left-handed pitcher off the waiver wire and inked a bullpen pitcher to an interesting minor league deal.
The Atlanta Braves placed outfielder Sam Hilliard on waivers, and the Orioles claimed him on Wednesday as they went back to the waiver wire. The Orioles placed relief pitcher Joey Krehbiel on the disabled list in order to make room for Hilliard because their roster was already full at forty.
Sam Hilliard, an outfielder, is claimed on waivers by the Orioles.
Hilliard played for the Braves in 2023, but his right heel ailment kept him out of the field for the most of the season—sixty days. He played in a game last July. Hilliard’s slash line in those 40 games was.236/.295/.431, with three home runs, five doubles, four stolen bases, six RBIs, and six walks.
Hilliard only makes an appearance in two advanced rankings on baseball savant due to his season being cut short. Both work in his favor; he plays center field most of the time and has arm strength that is in the 75th percentile. His sprint speed, which is in the 90th percentile, gets an outstanding grade.
During the winter, Hilliard is
Hilliard began his major league career with the Colorado Rockies and played for them until joining the Braves the previous season. Hilliard has a slash line of.215/.294/.424 across his five big league seasons, with 32 home runs, 24 doubles, seven triples, and 77 runs scored in 254 games.
Krehbiel is the victim in this case of the 40 man roster squeeze. Though he did get some play in the majors toward the conclusion of the season, he spent the majority of 2023 in Norfolk. Krehbiel pitched five innings, struck out five batters, and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in six appearances.
Hilliard does not have any minor league options left, but it appears that he will be a depth outfielder at