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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.
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.