O's announce PTBN for Bleier, Givens

September 19th, 2020

The Orioles completed both the Richard Bleier deal with the Marlins and Mychal Givens trade with the Rockies on Friday, receiving shortstop prospect Isaac De León from Miami and outfield prospect Mishael Deson from Colorado. De León and Deson are both 18-year-old international signees who played in developmental leagues in 2019.

Consider it another long-term play for Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias, who acquired a similar package of two upside international signees from Boston last summer in the Andrew Cashner trade.

De Leon hit .256 with 13 doubles and one homer in 66 games for the Marlins’ Dominican Summer League affiliate in 2019, splitting time between shortstop and third base. Deson is a right-handed-hitting center fielder who hit .252 with 17 extra-base hits and 23 steals in the DSL as a 16-year-old last summer.

The Orioles are still awaiting the identities of four players to be named acquired in other trades this summer for Hector Velázquez (Astros), Tommy Milone (Braves) and Miguel Castro (Mets). Per MLB rules this year, players not included in a team’s 60-man player pool can only be traded as players to be named. The Orioles added Deson and De Leon to their pool, but neither will report to their alternate site in Bowie, Md., due to the season’s late date.

Baltimore released left-hander Rob Zastryzny to make room in its pool. He never appeared in the Majors for the Orioles.

The O's dealt Bleier to the Marlins on Aug. 1. The Givens deal with Colorado at the Deadline was more complex, with Baltimore also receiving No. 13 and 23 prospects Terrin Vavra and Tyler Nevin.