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The Baltimore Orioles have acquired veteran catcher Chris Snyder from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Triple-A right-hander Rob Delaney, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN.
More O's: Missed Opportunities
Snyder, 32, has spent the first four weeks of the season at the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake, but will very likely join the Orioles' active roster on Monday. Baltimore recently lost reserve catcher Taylor Teagarden for three or four weeks to a dislocated thumb, so Snyder will step in behind Matt Wieters on the depth chart for the next month or so.
Selig out in 2015?
The commissioner is well known for reneging on retirement plans, but this one may be for real.
Signed to a minor-league deal by the Angels in mid-March, Snyder didn't make the club's Opening Day roster but decided not to exercise his opt-out clause. The idea was that he could try to increase his trade value at Triple-A, which seems to have worked. Not really known for his offensive prowess, Snyder was thoroughly enjoyed his brief time in the Pacific Coast League, batting .342/.388/.684 with seven home runs in 86 plate appearances.
The O's called up catcher Luis Exposito on Sunday when Teagarden officially went to the 15-day DL, but now that Snyder is aboard Exposito is a prime candidate for losing his spot on the 40-man roster.
Delaney, 28, has only six innings of big-league experience under his belt, but could still find himself helping out an injury-stricken and overworked Angels bullpen in the very near future. The right-hander put up solid numbers at Triple-A for the Rays and O's in 2011 and 2012 -- a 2.06 ERA and 7.1 K/9 in 130⅔ innings -- but wasn't off to a great start through five innings this year.
Delaney's biggest asset seems to be his ability to repress the home-run ball -- he's allowed just 0.6 HR/9 in eight seasons -- a skill that will be tested immediately upon his arrival in the PCL.
