Orioles designated hitter Javy Lopez, upset with no longer playing catcher, was traded to AL East Division rival Boston on Friday along with cash consideration for a player to be named later.
The move addresses a need for the Red Sox, where everyday catcher Jason Varitek recently went on the DL with a knee injury. The Red Sox are in the playoff hunt, both in the Wilde Card and AL East races.
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Lopez needed to clear waivers to make way for the trade.
Earlier in the week, Lopez had said publicly that the team should release him if they had no intention of trading him. The July 31 trading deadline passed with no move.
“There was no interest before the trade deadline,” Orioles vice president of baseball operations Jim Duquette said Friday.
Duquette said Lopez?s role would have been further diminished with the return of Jay Gibbons to the lineup off the DL.
“Javy is ecstatic about the opportunity to be a catcher again. That?s been the most frustrating thing for him about being in Baltimore,” Lopez?s agent, Chuck Berry, told The Associated Press.
Lopez was the every day catcher for the Orioles for two years, after signing a three-year contract in 2004. The one-time power-hitting catcher for the Atlanta Braves saw steadily declining numbers during his years with Baltimore, which were marked by the occasional stint on the DL. In 2004, he hit 23 home runs and drove in 86 runs. Last season saw a long stint on the DL, and a 15 home run and 49 RBI year.
The Orioles attempted to move Lopez to first base during this past spring training. Lopez was largely unfamiliar with the position. The move came because the Orioles signed free agent catcher Ramon Hernandez in the offseason. The Lopez to first base experiment was over before it really started.
Hernandez has been nothing short of a steal for the Orioles this season and his position behind the plate was untouchable. Lopez got the occasional nod at catcher, most notably in a pairing with pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, but the Orioles never seriously entertained playing him regularly.
The team signed catcher Chris Widger, who was released by the Chicago White Sox earlier this week. Widger is hitting .184 this season in 52 games.
Lopez, 35, a former All-Star, was batting .265 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs this season.
