Baltimore Orioles DFA Former A's Outfielder

Right after the World Series, the Baltimore Orioles made a trade with the Athletics, acquiring outfielder Daz Cameron in exchange for cash. The O's recently decided to designate Cameron for assignment to make room for right-hander Roasny Contreras from the New York Yankees, whom they claimed off waivers.

Contreras, 25, had originally been with New York, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021 as part of the return for Jameson Taillon. The righty would stick with Pittsburgh until 2024, when the Pirates decided to deal him to the Los Angeles Angels for cash. They would later DFA him, and the Texas Rangers claimed him off waivers this winter.

A week later, he was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds, then the Orioles, Yankees, and back to the Orioles. It has been an evenful winter for Contreras.

As for Cameron, he spent the 2024 season in the A's organization, getting into 66 games at the big-league level while batting .200 with a .258 OBP and a .587 OPS. It was the longest look he's had in the bigs in his four-year MLB career. He spent the 2020-2022 campaigns with the Detroit Tigers after being a big piece of the return when the Houston Astros acquired Justin Verlander in 2017.

After the '22 season, Cameron was with the Orioles after they claimed him off waivers, but didn't make it to The Show with the club. Heading into his age 28 season, he is now looking for his next organization.

Last season with the A's, Cameron hit the ball hard, averaging a 91.6 mile per hour exit velocity, but his launch angle was a little low at just 8.6 degrees, nearly cutting in half what he did in a small sample with Detroit in 2022 when he had a 17.1 degree launch. He had above average bat speed, and chased less often that league average, but his whiff% still sat at 28.3%, which led to a 27.4% strikeout rate.

He also only held a seven percent walk rate, so he wasn't finding another route to getting on base, which limited his ceiling for what he could do.

On the bright side, he did finish in the 78th percentile in sprint speed, so if he could get on base, then he could be a useful weapon for his next club, especially if he figures out his launch angle. Cameron's fielding graded out below league average with a -3 in Outs Above Average, but he also had a solid arm, which ranked in the 76th percentile in arm strength. The arm itself was league average in terms of arm value.

A team like the Boston Red Sox doesn't necessarily have a spot for Cameron on the roster at the moment, but taking a flier on him on a minor-league deal as a depth piece could be something to look into. With how hard he hits the ball, if he can up his launch angle, then he could just smack balls into the wall in left field. Or better yet, the Houston Astros have a wall in left that is also close, and those balls would just be home runs.

We'll have to see which team takes a chance on Cameron next.