Texas Rangers To Acquire Brandon Snyder

The Texas Rangers have acquired infielder Brandon Snyder from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Snyder is being replaced on Baltimore's 40-man roster by outfielder Jai Miller, who was recently acquired from the Oakland Athletics.

Snyder, 25, was Baltimore's first-round pick in 2005. He was ranked as the sixth-best prospect in Baltimore's system by Baseball America just two years ago, but he's never really stood out as a hitter in Triple-A despite being essentially a bat-only prospect. He spent last season playing first base and third base for Triple-A Norfolk, and over 285 games at the Triple-A level, Snyder has hit just .256/.317/.394.

There just wasn't a spot for Snyder in Baltimore at this point. The Orioles still have Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, Josh Bell, Ryan Adams, Matt Antonelli and Rule 5 pick Ryan Flaherty to try on the infield corners, leaving little chance for Snyder to see any playing time. In Texas, Snyder basically becomes the Rangers' top option at first base behind Mitch Moreland and Michael Young.