Baltimore Orioles Interested in Outfielder Corey Dickerson

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in making a trade for outfielder Corey Dickerson. Dickerson was DFA’d by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in making a trade for outfielder Corey Dickerson, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

Dickerson was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday after the team acquired first baseman C.J. Cron from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The move drew a confused reaction from the baseball world, as Dickerson had an excellent year with the Rays last season, ending up as the starting designated hitter for the All-Star Game.

Dickerson finished last season with the Rays slashing .282/.325/.490 with 27 home runs, 84 runs, and 62 RBIs. It was a serious tale of two halves with his season last year, however, as he slashed .312/.355/.548 through the first half of the year and .241/.282/.408 through the second half.

Dickerson seems to fit exactly what the Baltimore Orioles need right now, which is a left-handed hitting outfielder. Dickerson spent most of his time DHing for the Rays last season but did play 93 games in left field for them.

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The downside, however, is that Dickerson isn’t much of a fielder and can be a liability, as he finished last season with a -7.2 defensive rating and -1 defensive runs saved.

That being said, Dickerson has proven himself to be a more-than-capable hitter. He easily has the ability to hit 25-30 home runs, and can maintain a batting average that won’t kill you. He’s a career .280 hitter, though it’s important to remember that’s boosted by three years in Coors Field with the Colorado Rockies.

Dickerson is owed just $5.95 million this season and has one year of arbitration left on his contract before becoming a free agent. Since he’s been DFA’d by the Rays, the team has 10 days to trade or release him before he goes through waivers.

Encina notes that the Baltimore Orioles will “undoubtedly inquire about Dickerson,” especially since manager Buck Showlater has expressed his admiration for Dickerson in the past. Encina also notes that the fact the Baltimore Orioles and the Rays are division rivals shouldn’t necessarily prevent them from making a trade, as it didn’t with the Tim Beckham trade last season.

Dickerson would be an excellent fit for the Baltimore Orioles. He’s inexpensive, a very good hitter, and a left-handed outfield bat, which is what they’ve been searching for for months. Many of the other left-handed-hitting outfielders who are free agents will likely cost more (the Carlos Gonzalez‘s of the world for example), not to mention Dickerson is still just 28.

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It will all come down to what the Rays want for Dickerson, and since they DFA’d him, I can’t imagine they’re going to be asking for the world. If it’s reasonable, the Orioles should jump on it.