Baltimore Orioles Acquire Andrew Susac from Milwaukee Brewers
By Nate Wardle
The Baltimore Orioles made a move that could affect their Opening Day roster, acquiring Andrew Susac from the Milwaukee Brewers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Who says the Baltimore Orioles aren’t making moves?
On Friday, the Orioles acquired catcher Andrew Susac from the Milwaukee Brewers for either cash considerations or a player to be named later, per Roch Kubatko of MasnSports.com. Susac, 27, has appeared in over 100 MLB games.
In a former Oriole twist, Susac was designated for assignment earlier this week when the Brewers signed Matt Albers.
More from Baltimore Orioles
- What other Baltimore Orioles Offseason Storylines will you be interested in seeing?
- Baltimore Orioles to Face Numerous Playoff Contenders Down the Stretch
- Baltimore Orioles Showing Encouraging Signs During Recent Wins
- The Baltimore Orioles and the Expanded September Roster
- Orioles Josh Rogers Expectations in his Major League Debut
Susac is a career .232/.299/.396 hitter with the San Francisco Giants and Brewers. The Giants drafted Susac in the second round in 2011, and he made his major league debut in 2014 as a 24-year-old.
Susac was considered a top prospect according to numerous rankings before the 2015 campaign but has not lived up to that hype.
For his career, Susac has seven home runs, two triples, 16 doubles, 58 hits, 30 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. His best year came in 2014, his rookie season when he hit .273 for the Giants.
The next year he hit .218 and was traded to the Brewers for reliever Will Smith. Last season, in eight games and 12 at-bats Susac had one hit and six strikeouts. A small sample size, assuredly.
Susac traditionally rates pretty well defensively, albeit in very small sample sizes. One plus is that he is not yet arbitration-eligible, and he also has an option remaining, so this is more depth for the team.
An issue for Susac so far in his career has been durability. He has dealt with numerous arm injuries throughout his career, which may help explain some of his struggles. The good news is that this is a player with a lot of ability, and the Orioles have some flexibility since he has an option remaining.
Currently, the Orioles have Caleb Joseph, Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns on their major league roster. Sisco is an offensive catcher, Wynns, a defensive catcher.
I don’t see Susac supplanting Joseph as the starter. Now, he could help challenge Sisco for the backup job (maybe the O’s like stock-piling catchers with five letters in their last name, including two s’s and one c.)
Next: Orioles Announce Non-Roster Invitees to Spring Training
Wynns isn’t a long shot because of his defense, and it is still likely the Orioles at least kick the tires on a veteran. So, I’m not here to project that Susac is making the team, but he will have a chance. Now, who he will be catching pitches from? Well, that’s still to be determined.