O's add Bridwell, Triggs, Lee to 40-man roster
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have selected the contracts of right-handed pitchers Parker Bridwell and Andrew Triggs and lefty Chris Lee, setting their 40-man roster for Friday's deadline.
The moves protect the young trio from being taken in next month's Rule 5 Draft by another club. The 40-man roster is now full, though the O's could drop a player to make room to select someone in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. Baltimore has been incredibly active in the Rule 5 Draft in recent years and has been able to keep infielder Ryan Flaherty and pitcher T.J. McFarland as a result.
"We like the pitching depth we added to our roster today from the Minors," executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said in a text message. "Andrews Triggs had a terrific year at [Double-A] Bowie, and Chris Lee made a good first impression after coming to the O's in [a] trade. Parker Bridwell is an excellent athlete with very good secondary pitches who is coming into his own.
"All three could make a contribution to [the] 2016 club with some more seasoning."
Bridwell, a former ninth-round pick in 2010, went 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 starts for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He allowed 43 earned runs over 97 innings. He is currently ranked as the 20th-best Orioles prospect by MLB.com.
Lee, acquired from the Astros on May 18, has gone 22-25 with a 3.83 ERA (155 ER/364.2 IP) in 85 games (69 starts) over five Minor League seasons. The 23-year-old went a combined 10-10 with a 3.29 ERA for three affiliates in 2015.
The 26-year-old Triggs pitched to a 1.03 ERA (7 ER/61.0 IP) with 70 strikeouts and went a perfect 17-for-17 in save opportunities with Double-A Bowie this season. He posted the lowest walks per nine innings ratio (1.48) and ranked fifth with a 10.33 strikeouts per nine innings ratio among Eastern League relievers.
The Rule 5 Draft takes place Dec. 10, the final day of the Winter Meetings, with each pick costing $50,000. Players are eligible if they were drafted out of high school in 2011 or out of college in '12, and if selected, must remain on the active 25-man roster for the entirety of the following season or be offered back to their former organization for $25,000.