Nick Johnson has announced his retirement from baseball.
Johnson, 34, appeared in 38 games with the Orioles last season and was bothered by more wrist problems. The on-base machine will walk away from the game with a .268/.399/.441 batting line over 10 seasons in the majors. We’re left to wonder what could have been if injuries didn’t get in the way.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: news, Nick Johnson, Orioles
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, the Twins are waiting to hear back from free agent left-hander Joe Saunders.
The Twins would prefer to sign Saunders to a one-year deal, but they could be willing to go to two years. The Orioles and Mets have also been mentioned as possible landing spots, but since each club signed a starting pitcher this week, the Twins might be the last team standing. The 31-year-old left-hander had a 4.07 ERA in 28 starts last season between the Orioles and Diamondbacks.
Source: 1500espn.com
Tagged as: Joe Saunders, news, Orioles
Orioles re-signed LHP Rich Rundles to a minor league contract.
Rundles allowed three runs over 13 1/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk in 2012 after being signed out of the independent Atlantic League. The 31-year-old hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2009 and is unlikely to make it back up in 2013.
Tagged as: news, Orioles, Rich Rundles
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Orioles and Mariners are among the teams in on free agent left-hander Joe Saunders.
Heyman writes that there “could be others,” as the Mets and Twins have also been mentioned as possible landing spots. Saunders has been holding out for a three-year deal this offseason, but he may have to lower his asking price as spring training approaches. The 31-year-old left-hander posted a 4.07 ERA in 28 starts last season between the Orioles and Diamondbacks.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: Joe Saunders, news, Orioles
Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles plan to offer a minor league contract to left-hander Mark Hendrickson.
The deal will include a spring training invite. Hendrickson, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2011, threw bullpen sessions for the Orioles last week. The 38-year-old left-hander has switched to a sidearm delivery in an effort to rejuvenate his career.
Source: baltimoresun.com
Tagged as: Mark Hendrickson, news, Orioles
Wilson Betemit (wrist) has been swinging a bat from both sides of the plate this winter with no issues.
Betemit’s 2012 season ended prematurely when he aggravated a right wrist injury in September. The ailment kept him from playing in the Dominican Winter League like he usually does, but he appears to be healed now and will be ready to roll at the start of spring training. The 31-year-old is currently in line to receive the bulk of the at-bats at DH for the Orioles.
Source: baltimoresun.com
Tagged as: news, Orioles, Wilson Betemit
Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that although the Orioles have received several trade inquiries on shortstop J.J. Hardy, they are not inclined to deal him.
The Tigers have displayed the most interest publicly in acquiring his services, but the O’s don’t appear to be interested in Rick Porcello, who the Tigers are actively shopping. Despite a down offensive season, Hardy is still one of the most powerful shortstops in the league, as well as a slick defender, and should produce another 20-plus home run campaign despite the average risk.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: J.J. Hardy, news, Orioles
Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette indicated Saturday that the organization would like to pursue the possibility of signing Matt Wieters to a long-term deal.
Wieters recently received a $5 million raise through arbitration, setting a new record for a first-year qualifier. The 26-year-old backstop is coming off a season where he bashed 23 home runs and drove home 83 while displaying tremendous leadership skills and winning his second consecutive Gold Glove. The O’s would be wise to lock him up as soon as possible because he’s going to start getting really expensive anyway.
Source: baltimoresun.com
Tagged as: Matt Wieters, news, Orioles
Brian Roberts informed the media on Saturday that he’s currently working out without any restrictions, and doing more work in January than he’s done at any point in his career.
It’s certainly an encouraging sign, but it’s still impossible for the Orioles or fantasy owners him after appearing in a total of 115 games over the last three seasons. If fully healthy, he could be a valuable source of steals and runs scored, but obviously comes with substantial risk.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: Brian Roberts, news, Orioles
Nolan Reimold (neck) has been medically cleared for spring training.
Reimold had an X-ray on his neck earlier this month to make sure there weren’t any complications from spinal fusion surgery, and has been deemed healthy enough to return by the Orioles’ training staff. Barring any setbacks, he’ll be ready for the start of spring training and platoon with Nate McLouth in left field.
Source: twitter.com
Tagged as: news, Nolan Reimold, Orioles