Taylor Teagarden's Acquisition

In case you missed it, the O's acquired Taylor Teagarden this past week.  The trade sent minor league pitcher Randy Henry and a PTBNL for Teagarden, bringing in the catcher to backup Matt Wieters.  Let's quickly compare Teagarden to other options on the market.

First, a note about the trade.  Some Rangers fans are happy about the trade saying Henry was a steal for Teagarden.  Let's call a spade a spade.  Henry is a 21 year old pitcher in A, who's ERA was boosted by playing way over his level in Delmarva for the first part of the year.  It's a win-win for both teams I guess as Teagarden was sufficiently blocked in Texas and Henry had little to no shot at making an impact for the O's.  He's a two pitch pitcher who's trying to add a changeup but it's currently below average.

Taylor Teagarden

Teagarden's career MLB stats look something like: .220/.286/.417 over 4 seasons.  Keep in mind that Teagarden has just 392 PA to his name over that time however, the equivalent of about 1 season.  The average and OBP are nothing to write home about but Teagarden does have some power.  He's hit 16 home runs over those 392 PA, good a HR every 24.5 AB.  The biggest downside for Teagarden is his K rate which is over 35% for his career.  Teagarden is however, well regarded for his defense, so he essentially gives the O's Tatum quality defense with decent power to boot.  I like the (minor) upgrade here.

     

Jorge Posada                           Jason Varitek            

Jorge Posada and Jason Varitek were the two other options being discussed this offseason.  Posada and Varitek hit .235/.315/.398 and .221/.300/.396 last season respectively. Those numbers are relatively comparable to Teagarden, though he does bring more power to the table.  Additionally, Teagarden's defense is head and shoulders above Posada and Varitek given their ages.  The final nail in the coffin here is price.  Posada made over $13M last season and would likely be looking for several million in any deal.  Varitek made $2M and would be looking for a similar amount this year.  Teagarden costs the O's just over $400K for the season, making him not only a better option, but also more efficient.

This was a good move for the O's, and the first trade under Duquette's watch.  Let's see how the rest of the offseason shakes out for the team.