Orioles acquire SS J.J. Hardy and INF Brendan Harris from Minnesota Twins

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired SS J.J. Hardy and INF Brendan Harris from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league right-handed pitchers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson. The Orioles will also receive cash considerations from Minnesota. Hardy, 28, was an All-Star in 2007 with the Milwaukee Brewers, when he batted .277 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI. He averaged 30 doubles and 25 home runs over a two-season span in 2007 and 2008. Hardy batted .268 with a .714 OPS in 101 games last season, his first in Minnesota, and was fourth in range factor per 9.0 innings among AL shortstops. Hardy owns a career .830 OPS against left-handed pitching and is fifth among active shortstops with a career .978 fielding percentage. In five seasons with Milwaukee prior to joining the Twins, Hardy averaged 114 games per season, batting .262 with a .751 OPS. Harris, 30, has batted .260 (412-1587) in 458 career major league games with the Chicago Cubs (2004), Montreal Expos (2004), Washington Nationals (2005-06), Cincinnati Reds (2006), Tampa Bay Rays (2007) and Twins (2008-2010). A versatile defender, Harris has appeared in 214 major league games at shortstop, 120 at third base and 118 at second base, posting a .973 fielding percentage. Hoey, 27, appeared in 35 games for the Orioles during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, posting a 3-5 record with an 8.13 ERA (34.1IP, 31ER). Hoey split the 2010 season between Double-A Bowie, where he was 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA (31.1IP, 11ER) in 24 games, and Triple-A Norfolk, where he was 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA (21.1IP, 8ER) in 18 games. Jacobson, 24, was acquired by the Orioles on August 17, 2009 from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 1B Aubrey Huff. In 34 games for Class-A Frederick in 2010, Jacobson went 8-1 with one save and a 2.79 ERA (71.0IP, 22ER).