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The Baltimore Orioles have acquired catcher Johnny Monell from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash considerations, according to a team announcement. Monell was designated for assignment along with Francisco Peguero last week to make room for newly-acquired pitchers Erik Cordier and and Jose De Paula.
As I reported yesterday, Monell was drawing interest from teams and was going to elect free agency and test the open market if he cleared waivers. There is currently a strong market for left-handed hitting catchers, so it makes sense that he found a spot on a team's 40-man roster.
The Orioles have also expressed interest in Peguero and sent scouts to see him play in winter ball, according to a source. A resolution on his situation should come by the end of the weekend, and the Giants' decision to not include him in the Monell trade suggests that he is drawing significant trade interest from teams throughout the league.
Monell, who turns 28 in March, was the Giants' 30th round pick in the 2007 draft and spent seven seasons in the team's minor league system before making his major league debut in September. In eight at-bats over nine major league games, the backstop hit notched an RBI single and struck out three times. In 121 games for Triple-A Fresno last season, Monell hit .275 with 20 HR and 64 RBI.
Monell tweeted his thoughts about the trade shortly after it was announced.
New beginnings start in the city of Baltimore. Happy and blessed for my new opportunity. Grew up watching the AL East! Till then #swtp
— Johnny Monell Jr. (@JMoE220) November 30, 2013
