Orioles strengthen outfield by acquiring Bourn, Stubbs

Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette is doing his part to improve the club's outfield depth as the season heads into the final month.

The Orioles acquired outfielder Michael Bourn from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday in exchange for minor-league outfielder Jason Heinrich.

It was the second move of the day for Duquette, who also claimed Drew Stubbs off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

The 33-year-old Bourn is enjoying a decent season in the desert, hitting .261/.307/.362 with three home runs, 12 doubles, and six triples in 89 games while swiping 12 bases. Bourn has played almost exclusively in center this season, but the former Gold Glove winner is capable of playing all three outfield positions.

"(He's) got a great reputation as a teammate and professional and brings some things we are in need of and have been for a while," manager Buck Showalter told reporters of Bourn.

Baltimore's outfielders rank 24th in the majors with 2.8 WAR this season. While they've collectively hit 81 homers, they own a minus-51.2 defensive rating - the worst in all of baseball, according to Fangraphs.

Adding Bourn would help alleviate some of those defensive issues, especially as Adam Jones continues to battle a left hamstring issue. Bringing in both Bourn and Stubbs also allows Showalter to use Mark Trumbo as the team's designated hitter instead of in right field, where he ranks as one of the worst defenders in the majors.

Heinrich was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Orioles. The 20-year-old is hitting .231/.301/.347 with three homers and eight doubles in 44 games with Class A Short-Season Aberdeen.