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Pirates trade Travis Snider to Orioles for minor leaguer, PTBNL

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles finally made a move to address their offense after a quiet start to the offseason. 

Baltimore bolstered its lineup Tuesday by acquiring outfielder Travis Snider from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Orioles announced. Pittsburgh receives 21-year-old minor league pitcher Stephen Tarpley and a player to be named later in exchange for the 26-year-old. 

Snider is coming off his most productive season in the big leagues and will provide the Orioles with a capable bat to help fill the void left by the departures of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis to free agency. 

The 2006 first-round pick revitalized his career with the Pirates last season after persistent struggles to live up to the hype that at one point made him one of the best hitting prospects in the minors. While Snider was shielded from left-handers, he blossomed in a platoon role and had a monster second half, hitting .288/.356/.524 with nine home runs. 

Baltimore is deep in lefty-hitting corner outfielders, but Snider should receive consistent playing time against right-handed pitching. 

Tarpley, meanwhile, made 13 appearances (12 starts) at short-season Class A Aberdeen and posted a 3.66 ERA and struck out 8.14 batters per nine innings. The left-hander was selected in the third round of the 2013 draft. 

To make room for Snider on the 40-man roster, catcher Michael Ohlman was designated for assignment. 

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