The Athletics have traded outfielder Daz Cameron to the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. This will be Cameron’s second stint in the Orioles organization.
Cameron, the son of All-Star outfielder Mike Cameron, was a highly-regarded prospect in the 2015 draft. The Astros selected him 37th overall but gave him a $4MM signing bonus, a number much closer to the slot value of the fifth overall pick (which Houston used on Kyle Tucker) rather than a competitive balance round selection. Yet, Cameron has never been able to live up to his top-prospect billing. The Astros sent him to the Tigers in 2017 as a part of the trade package for Justin Verlander, and he made his MLB debut with Detroit three years later. Over parts of three seasons with the Tigers, he put up a meager .201/.266/.330 slash line with a 66 wRC+ in 73 games.
After the 2022 season, the Tigers designated Cameron for assignment, and the Orioles scooped him up off of waivers. They quickly removed him from the 40-man roster but kept him in the organization and gave him an invitation to spring training. However, he failed to earn a spot on the roster out of camp and spent the 2023 season with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, slashing a serviceable .268/.346/.452 with a 98 wRC+ over 110 games. He showed off relatively good plate discipline (21.3% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate) and plus speed (23 stolen bases in 29 attempts), but it wasn’t quite enough to get him back on the 40-man roster.
Cameron posted monster numbers with the Athletics’ Triple-A club this past season, hitting .304/.424/.577 (149 wRC+) with six homers, eight steals and a gaudy 16.4% walk rate in 41 games. He parlayed that into a look in the majors but wasn’t able to capitalize, batting just .200/.258/.329 during his 66 games (186 plate appearances) as an Athletic.
Orioles GM Mike Elias was the Astros’ scouting director when Cameron was selected 37th overall by Houston in 2015 and clearly still thinks well of the player. It seems unlikely that Baltimore would carry the out-of-options Cameron into next season, but the O’s have a habit of making early-offseason depth acquisitions, signing those players to a split contract for the upcoming season and then passing them through waivers. It’s possible they could look to go down a similar path with Cameron, who’d be eligible to reject an assignment in favor of free agency if he ultimately does pass through waivers.