TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees traded left-hander Richard Bleier to the Orioles on Tuesday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Bleier was designated for assignment on Feb. 16 in order to make room on the 40-man roster for newly signed first baseman Chris Carter.
The 29-year-old Bleier made his Major League debut with the Yankees last season, posting a 1.96 ERA in 23 relief appearances over two stints with the club. He became the first Yankee since 1913 to not record a walk or a strikeout in each of his first five Major League outings.
Bleier is set to participate in the World Baseball Classic in the designated pitchers pool for Team Israel. A team can use up to 10 designated pitchers but can't have more than two on its active roster at a time. Those active DPs can be replaced at the beginning of the next two rounds, but only by another DP. Once a DP has been replaced, he cannot return to the active roster for the subsequent rounds.
Bleier was selected by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2008 Draft and signed with the Yankees as a free agent last spring.