Roch Kubatko of MASN Online reports this afternoon that the Orioles and Red Sox made a swap of righthanded pitchers. The O’s sent Randor Bierd to the Sox for David Pauley.
Bierd, 25 in March, tossed 36.6 relief innings for the ’08 Orioles, posting a 4.91 ERA. The Orioles had taken him from the Tigers with the third pick in the December ’07 Rule 5 draft. He spent a couple of months this year on the DL with a shoulder injury, which worked out nicely for the Orioles since Rule 5 picks have to be on the Major League roster if healthy. Baseball America sees him as a decent reliever with "impeccable control."
Pauley, a 25 year-old starter, posted a 3.55 ERA in 25 Triple A starts for Pawtucket in ’08. The Sox designated him for assignment last Tuesday to make room for John Smoltz. Baseball America considered Pauley a potential #4-5 starter with three average pitches, when discussing him in their ’06 Handbook.
