Bricks from the Warehouse

Danny Clyburn, a 24-year old outfielder who's clearly ready for the majors, at least on any team without a minimum age requirement, was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays along with a player to be named later for hard-throwing right-hander Jason Johnson. (At least, that's how Johnson's always described, although I think it means that he finds it hard to throw.) He's a 25-year old starting pitcher who was fighting for the last spot in Tampa's rotation after posting a 5.70 ERA in 60 innings in their rotation last year. Other than those 60 innings, he has just 70 innings above A ball, where he spent parts of five seasons from 1993-1997. He pitched 57 mediocre innings at AA two years ago, and 12 innings at AAA last year. In the majors:

W- L    ERA    BA   G GS CG GF SH SV   IP    H   R  ER HR  BB  SO
2- 5   5.70  .306  13 13  0  0  0  0  60.0  74  38  38  9  27  36

As for his minor league numbers:

YR  TEAM      W  L   G  GS SV     IP    H   R  ER  HR TBB   SO   ERA
92 PIRAT R    2  0   5   0  0    7.1    6   3   3   0   6    3  3.68
93 PIRAT R    1  4   9   9  0   54.0   48  22  14   0  14   39  2.33
93 WELLA A    1  5   6   6  0   35.0   33  24  18   0   9   19  4.63
94 AUGUS A    2 12  20  19  0  102.2  119  67  46   5  32   69  4.03
95 AUGUS A    3  5  11  11  0   53.2   57  32  26   2  17   42  4.36
95 LYNCH A    1  4  10  10  0   55.0   58  37  30   9  20   41  4.91
96 LYNCH A    1  4  15   5  0   44.1   56  37  32   6  12   27  6.50
96 AUGUS A    4  4  14  14  0   84.0   82  40  29   2  25   83  3.11
97 LYNCH A    8  4  17  17  0   99.1   98  43  41   4  30   92  3.71
97 CAROL AA   3  3   9   9  0   57.1   56  31  26   6  16   63  4.08
98 DURHA AAA  1  0   2   2  0   12.1    6   4   4   2   2   14  2.92
TOTALS       27 45 118 102  0  605.0  619 340 269  36 183  492  4.00

Most people looking at the Orioles' organization would see a plethora of AAA pitchers, some of whom might even be described as prospects, while a severe lack of position-player depth, particularly in the OF, where they have no fourth outfielder at all. So we don't understand this trade at all. Where does it leave Rocky Coppinger? Why do the Orioles, who have been whining about their scarcity of left-handed pitching, trade for another right handed pitcher? What prompts a general manager to say, as the Associated Press quotes Frank Wren as doing:

   "We are very pleased to have been able to acquire Jason... He is a 
   big, strong kid with an excellent arm."
   Johnson is likely to start the season with at Triple-A Rochester but
   will be among the team's first recalls, Wren said.

Are they really trying their hardest to annoy Coppinger? Because we can't see any other point to it.

And what happens if Belle or Surhoff gets hurt? Lyle Mouton is still in AAA, but nobody else is. (Ricky Otero? Puhlease.) Ray Miller continually whines about his roster's lack of flexibility, including whimpering about how he would have been forced to put Mike Mussina in the OF last year if there had been one more injury, and then they pull moves like this.

Moreover, Ray Miller has discussed demoting Sidney Ponson to the bullpen, ostensibly because the Os rotation is "too right-handed." So why, exactly, would you trade for another right-handed pitcher?