The offseason has started early for the Baltimore Orioles, as their first move has officially been made a little under a week since their final game played of the 2022 season.
It has been reported by MASN’s Roch Kubatko that the Orioles have claimed outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
This past season, Cave, 29, would play in 54 games, slashing .213/.260/.384, while hitting five homers, seven doubles, three triples and driving in 20 runs.
Cave was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2011 draft out of Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia.
He stayed in the Yankees farm system, until he was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds in 2015. The following year, he was waived and returned to the Yankees but was traded to the Twins in 2018 for right-hander Luis Gil.
Cave would make his big league debut in May of 2018 and end up playing in 91 games for the Twins. He would hit .266 with 13 long balls and 45 RBIs, however his big downfall was that he struck out 102 times in 283 at-bats.
For his career, Cave is hitting .235/.297/.411 with 33 home runs and 118 RBIs. He has 19 outfield assists, playing all three spots across 335 games.
Cave adds some left-handed hitting outfield depth to Baltimore’s ranks, at least for the moment. With between three and four years of major league service time, Cave is eligible for arbitration through 2024, although the O’s could still non-tender him next month.
To make room for Cave on the 40-man roster, the O’s have designated right-hander Jake Reed for assignment. Reed, 29, made eight appearances with the Birds, allowing six runs (four earned) in 5.2 innings.
Welcome to Birdland, Jake Cave!
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Signing Cave makes no sense. The guy strikes nearly half of his at-bats and has average power at best. I’d much rather see one of their young outfield prospects.
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What do the Orioles see?
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