The Baltimore Orioles acquired outfielder Corey Patterson from the Chicago Cubs on Monday in exchange for shortstop Nate Spears and left-handed pitcher Carlos Perez. Patterson, 26, struggled mightily with Chicago last season batting .215 along with 13 homers and 34 RBIs in 451 at-bats. The 26-year-old Patterson has posted a .252 batting average with 70 homers, 231 RBIs and 86 stolen bases during 6 seasons of Major League service. He was the Cubs' 1st pick in the 1998 amateur draft. Spears, 20, spent last season with the Frederick Keys. The left-handed hitter batted .294 with 30 doubles, six homers and 41 RBI during his 2005 campaign. Perez, 23, recorded 146 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings while going 11-8 for the Class-A Delmarva Shorebirds. Breaking Down The Deal This move comes just weeks after the Chicago Cubs added Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones to their outfield mix. Corey Patterson did not meet up to high expectations with the Cubs as injuries, strikeouts and confidence issues plagued him during his time at Wrigley. Patterson possesses a great arm and solid fielding instincts. He is also a great base-runner with good power. The downside of the speedy outfielder is his vulnerability to the strike out. Nate Spears may better serve a ballclub as a second baseman due to his weaker arm strength. Carlos Perez showed good consistency in Class-A last season; he threw strikes and walked few. Switching to a more hitter-friendly park will help Patterson post better numbers in 2006. I expect the outfielder to hit 20-25 homers along with 20-25 stolen bases next season. The Cubs acquire two minor-leaguers with potential; both players, however, are years away from the Major Leagues. The Baltimore Orioles come out victorious as they acquire a player with the potential to have a 30/30 season at the big league level. Winner: Baltimore Orioles Do you have a question, concern, or comment? ? Feel free to email me at [email protected]