Orioles cut payroll, trade Villar and likely $10M salary

BALTIMORE (AP) — The rebuilding Baltimore Orioles further slashed their slim salary payroll by trading infielder Jonathan Villar to Miami on Monday for minor league pitcher Easton Lucas.

Villar played in all 162 games this year and led the Orioles with 176 hits, five triples and 40 stolen bases.

But Villar is eligible for arbitration and likely to earn about $10 million next year, so general manager Mike Elias opted to trade the 28-year-old as part of a more substantial teardown.

Baltimore finished last in the AL East in 2019, the first season with Elias at the helm. From the outset, Elias made it clear that the roster will be overhauled before being injected with young talent.

Lucas is a 23-year-old lefty with one year of minor league experience.

The Orioles also announced that they have reached a one-year agreement with lefty Richard Bleier and offer 2020 contracts to first baseman Trey Mancini, infielder Hanser Alberto, right-handers Dylan Bundy, Miguel Castro and Mychal Givens.

__

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports