The Orioles introduced that they’ve signed outfielder Dylan Carlson to a one-year deal. The ALIGND Sports activities Company consumer will reportedly make $975K with a $25K bonus for attending to 200 plate appearances. Infielder Jacob Amaya has been designated for project in a corresponding transfer.
Carlson, 26, has seen his inventory slide lately. That features a very tough displaying in 2024. Between the Cardinals and Rays final 12 months, he stepped to the plate 265 occasions however struck out in 28.3% of these appearances and hit simply .209/.287/.277 for a wRC+ of 67. The Rays may have retained him through arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $2.7MM wage, however they non-tendered him as an alternative.
It’s been a steep drop from a number of years in the past. Carlson was chosen by the Cardinals with the thirty third total decide in 2016 and he carried out effectively in his first skilled video games. Baseball America ranked him as one of many ten finest prospects in the whole league in each 2020 and 2021.
Within the latter of these two years, he appeared to be on his approach to delivering on that prospect hype. He bought into 149 video games for the Playing cards in 2021, hitting 18 dwelling runs and slashing .266/.343/.437 for a 111 wRC+. He additionally bought some first rate marks for his glovework, main FanGraphs to credit score him with 2.4 wins above alternative on the 12 months. Since he was solely 22 years previous on the time, it could have been truthful to contemplate that only the start.
Sadly, his manufacturing has trended down since then, maybe because of an absence of well being. A left hamstring pressure despatched him to the injured checklist, adopted by a later stint for a left thumb sprain. He performed 128 video games with a .236/.316/.380 line and 98 wRC+. In 2023, left ankle points had been the perpetrator, sending him to the IL a number of occasions and ultimately requiring surgical procedure. He hit .219/.318/.333 for a wRC+ of 84, entering into simply 76 video games. In 2024, a left AC joint sprain put him on the IL to begin the 12 months. As talked about earlier, he went on to have a poor season and bought despatched to free company.
For the O’s, they most likely aren’t anticipating a lot out of Carlson besides to fill a fourth outfielder function. They’ve Cedric Mullins, Tyler O’Neill and Colton Cowser more likely to be their common trio on the grass. Even when somebody in that group will get harm, they’ve Heston Kjerstad as an choice to step up. He nonetheless has choices remaining and will maybe be ticketed for on a regular basis at-bats in Triple-A till he’s wanted within the majors. The designated hitter slot will most likely be shared by first basemen Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn.
That may doubtless go away Carlson and Daz Cameron in bench/depth roles. Carlson has performed all three outfield spots in his profession, with blended evaluations. Defensive Runs Saved considers him to have been barely above common on the entire, although Outs Above Common has him a bit beneath par.
Primarily based on his previous prospect pedigree, there’s theoretically some upside there since Carlson continues to be younger, although he might want to keep wholesome and discover a path to some common taking part in time. If that involves go, Carlson could be retained for 2026 through arbitration. He additionally has a full slate of choices, so it’s doable the O’s ship him to the minors to try to get him again on observe that method. His service time is at 4 years and 104 days, placing him 68 days of the five-year mark. As soon as he will get to that line, he can’t be optioned with out his consent.
Amaya, 26, was simply claimed off waivers earlier this month. The O’s have a penchant for grabbing guys off the wire after which attempting to go them by means of at a later date, so it’s not particularly shocking to see that occur right here.
The younger infielder is taken into account to be stronger as a fielder than as a hitter. He has loads of expertise with the center infield positions, in addition to a while at third base, usually impressing prospect evaluators. He has hit .182/.222/.195 in 81 main league plate appearances. That’s a tiny pattern dimension however his minor league work has additionally been subpar. Over the previous two years, he stepped to the plate 868 occasions on the farm and hit .241/.332/.379 for a wRC+ of 80.
He exhausted his last possibility in 2024. As his out-of-options standing was nearing, he began to bounce across the league. He was designated for project by the Marlins in March and traded to the Astros. Houston put him on waivers in August, which led the White Sox to make a declare, although they subsequently misplaced him to the O’s this month.
Amaya heads again to DFA limbo and can know his destiny inside every week. The waiver course of takes 48 hours, so any risk of a commerce would should be explored within the subsequent 5 days. Primarily based on his previous few DFAs, he’s most likely headed for the waiver wire once more within the coming days. If he clears this time, the O’s will retain him as some infield depth however with out him taking on a roster spot.
Jon Heyman of The New York Put up had the monetary phrases.
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