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August 27, 2008

Transaction Analysis

AL East Moves

by Christina Kahrl

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Team Audit | DT Cards | PECOTA Cards | Depth Chart

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Placed LHP George Sherrill on the 15-day DL (shoulder inflammation), retroactive to 8/16. [8/19]
Optioned LHP Garrett Olson to Norfolk; purchased the contract of RHP Kameron Mickolio from Norfolk (Triple-A); transferred RHP Matt Albers from the 15- to the 60-day DL. [8/20]
Recalled RHP Radhames Liz from Norfolk. [8/22]
Optioned RHP Kameron Mickolio to Norfolk; recalled LHP Brian Burres from Norfolk. [8/26]
Activated RHP Greg Aquino from the 15-day DL, and designated him for assignment. [8/27]

Losing Sherrill's not exactly good news, but he should be back at some point in September. On some level I have suspension-of-disbelief issues with the value of his season, in that he's a good situational lefty doing a near-adequate job of getting right-handed people out often enough to make a passable closer, which says a lot about how a reliever who doesn't lose his cool can pretty much rack up saves just by doing his thing. That's going to be great for Sherrill's bank account come his next arbitration case, and it's a disappointment that the organization didn't cash in that value this summer, but there's always hope they'll be able to deal him for a solid package to contribute even more towards the next good Orioles team. In the interim, I guess Jim Johnson's been the closer by default, not that the Orioles have been generating many save opportunities in the meantime. Mickolio might be part of the picture eventually, as another part (with Sherrill) of the package received from the Mariners for Erik Bedard, but the gigantic flamethrower hadn't really mastered his command in Double-A, let alone settled in with less than a month's experience at Triple-A. It's nice to see that he's getting a taste, and 60 strikeouts in 56 1/3 IP in the minors reflects his talent, but 29 walks suggest that there's a distance yet to be traversed.