The Orioles have made their first trade of the 2011 deadline as Koji Uehara is headed to the Texas Rangers for first baseman Chris Davis and starting pitcher Tommy Hunter (who are both major league ready) according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
The trade is not official yet because the Rangers are expected to get “significant” salary relief according to Evan P. Grant of the Dallas Morning Times.
The trade comes as no surprise as Uehara is one of the league’s top relief pitchers. He has comparable numbers to fellow trade candidate Mike Adams and is cheaper because he is older. He has a $4 million option set to vest if Uehara appears in 12 more games, which is extremely likely barring injury.
The two players acquired play a big part in the future of some of the Orioles’ other trade chips, as they acquired potential replacements for both Jeremy Guthrie and Derrek Lee.
The starting rotation has struggled mightily this year and Tommy Hunter provides immediate relief, but the new flexibility could mean that Guthrie is on the way out. The Indians are the most likely destination now for Guthrie since Detroit and St. Louis already made starting pitching upgrades.
The acquisition of Chris Davis could also mean the end of the line for Derrek Lee. Davis can take over right away if Lee is dealt away. And Arizona and Pittsburgh could use a veteran at first, so they seem like likely partners for a Lee deal.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweeted this morning that the Pirates were unsure if Lee was an upgrade at first, but his play in the second half so far may change their mind. I could definitely see the Diamondbacks matching up again after the teams worked together on the Mark Reynolds deal this past offseason.
Lee was pulled early in the first game of the Orioles’ double-header in New York, but Roch Kubatko of MASN reported that it was to rest for Game 2. He is not in the lineup for Game 2.
Update: The Indians have acquired Ubaldo Jimenez, so Guthrie is very unlikely for the Tribe now.
Look around for my wrap-up of all of the deals Baltimore makes at the deadline Monday morning.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com