Blue Jays acquire Brett Wallace from Orioles

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired first baseman Brett Wallace (per David Hall of the Virginian Pilot) from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. The Blue Jays originally added Wallace in a trade with the Athletics in December of 2009 before dealing him to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in 2010.

Wallace, drafted 13th overall by the Cardinals in the 2008 draft, made a name for himself as a highly regard prospect coming up the ladder, twice being named a top 50 prospect by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. Early in his career, he was included in numerous major trades (including deals for Matt Holliday and Roy Halladay within six months of each other in 2009), bringing him to Oakland, Toronto, and eventually Houston, where he made his major league debut in 2010.

Regarded as a bat-first third baseman, Wallace's lofty middle-of-the-order projection never materialized, and he was eventually moved over to first base to accommodate his meager defensive abilities. In 311 big league games, all with the Astros, Wallace has hit a below-average .242/.313/.391 with 29 home runs and a -0.6 WAR. The 27-year-old is currently hitting just .265/.329/.389 in 374 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

Wallace will head to Triple-A Buffalo where he will serve as organizational depth. Toronto is currently dealing with injuries to first baseman Edwin Encarnacion and designated hitter Adam Lind, so the move provides added insurance in case someone else goes down.

In a separate move today, the Orioles also announced the release of left-hander Randy Wolf, who opted out of his minor league deal yesterday. Wolf has now gone through four teams this year (Mariners, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Orioles), but has thrown just 25.2 innings at the major league level (in a six game stretch with Miami from May 14th to June 14th). The 37-year-old has a 4.41 ERA in 49 innings at Triple-A this season.