KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced they have traded first baseman Ryan O'Hearn to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.
We have traded INF Ryan O'Hearn to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations. O'Hearn was designated for assignment on December 28.
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) January 3, 2023
O'Hearn played five seasons for the Royals, amassing a .218/.293/.390 slash line while hitting 38 home runs and 131 RBIs in 342 games.
O'Hearn started his Royals career hot, slugging 12 home runs and collecting 30 RBIs in 44 games in his first year in the big leagues in 2018. However, he would struggle to continue that success, especially in his last three years with the team, when he collected 12 HRs combined.
O'Hearn was quantified as the least valuable first baseman during his five years with the Royals according to Fangraphs metric Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
O'Hearn was initially scheduled to head into his final year of arbitration before heading to free agency. Instead, he agreed to a contract worth $1.4 million with the Royals for 2023 in early November.
However, he was designated for assignment on Dec. 28 as a corresponding move for the team's signing of pitcher Jordan Lyles.
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