The Baltimore Orioles are officially buyers this summer as they acquire 1B/DH Jim Thome from the Philadelphia Phillies.
The story initially broke when Jim Salisbury of CSN tweeted that a source told him about the possible deal. The deal was officially confirmed in a tweet by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. (h/t SI.com).
Thome, 41, played in 30 games for the struggling Phillies and hit .242/.338/.516 with five home runs and 15 RBI. He will serve as the Orioles’ designated hitter for the rest of the season.The Phillies have been decimated by injuries throughout the season, which equates to their last-place record in the NL East. They were looking for bullpen help but decided to go in another direction.
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino are the two prospects heading to Philadelphia in the trade.
Simon, who was a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2011, is 3-10 with a 3.63 ERA in 14 starts and 14 appearances. He has spent time in Class-A Aberdeen, Delmarva and Frederick. The California native struggled early to start the season, but has dropped his ERA substantially.
Lino, 19, has spent all of 2012 with Class-A Delmarva hitting .218/.282/.340 with four homers and 18 RBI in 56 games. The Venezuelan catcher should be a player to watch moving forward in the Phillies system. He has a big frame with power potential.
The Orioles are in second place battling the New York Yankees for first in the AL East. Baltimore has struggled offensively the last couple weeks and hope that Thome can bring depth to their lineup.
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