Orioles Offseason Tracker
Catch up on all the latest Orioles transactions as we head towards the 2017 season. (Last updated, February 15th)
Orioles minor leaguers added to 40-man roster
JOE GUNKEL, RHP
Gunkel, who will be 25 during the 2017 campaign, was added to Baltimore's 40-man roster on November 18. Gunkel spent most of his 2016 season with Norfolk, where he led the Tides with 24 starts and 141.1 innings pitched. He went 8-11 with a 4.08 ERA with the Tides, registering a team-high 94 strikeouts. He also led International League starters in fewest walks per nine innings pitched, as he issued just 18 walks in 141. Innings (1.15 walks per nine innings). Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2013 draft out of West Chester University (PA), he was acquired by the Orioles for outfielder Alejandro de Aza on June 3, 2015.
JESUS LIRANZO, RHP
Liranzo, 21, was added to Baltimore's 40-man roster on November 18. He split the 2016 campaign between Class-A Delmarva and Double-A Bowie, posting a 1.87 ERA in 53.0 innings of work. He registered 66 strikeouts while allowing just 20 hits and 27 walks in 27 games out of the bullpen, holding opposing batters to a .116 average. He was signed by the Orioles to a minor league contract in July of 2013.
Players acquired in Rule 5 Draft
ANEURY TAVAREZ, OF
Tavarez, 24, was selected by Baltimore from Boston with the 12th pick in the Major League portion of the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. The left-handed hitting outfielder spent most of his 2016 season with Double-A Portland, where he hit .335 with seven home runs, 19 doubles, 13 triples and 47 RBI in 106 games. His .335 average was just .0001 point from winning the Eastern League batting title, while he also ranked among EL leaders in triples (2nd, 13), on-base percentage (3rd, .379) and slugging percentage (4th, .506). He also swiped 20 bases in 31 attempts last season.
ANTHONY SANTANDER, OF
Santander, 22, was selected by Baltimore from Cleveland with the 18th pick in the Major League portion of the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. A switch-hitter, he hit .290 with 20 home runs, 42 doubles and 95 RBI for Class-A Lynchburg in 2016. Originally signed by Cleveland as a free agent out of Venezuela, Santander underwent surgery on his right shoulder during the offseason.
BRIAN MORAN, LHP
Moran, 28, was selected by Baltimore from the Atlanta Braves in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Moran, the nephew of former Oriole B.J. Surhoff, spent the majority of 2016 with Bridgeport of the Independent Atlantic League before signing with Atlanta late in the season. In seven minor league seasons, he's gone 20-18 with 12 saves and a 3.11 ERA in 232 relief outings. He was originally selected by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2009 draft out of the University of North Carolina.
JEFRI HERNANDEZ, RHP
Hernandez, who will turn 26 in April, was selected by the Orioles from the Cincinnati Reds in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft. In 24 relief outings in the Texas Rangers minor league system last season, he posted a 3.06 ERA while registering 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. Over nine minor league seasons in the Texas and Colorado systems, he's gone 18-13 with 35 saves and a 3.61 ERA in 215 games (21 starts).
Players signed as free agents
DAVID WASHINGTON, OF
Washington, 26, was signed to a minor league deal by Baltimore on November 21st. In 127 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals system last season, he hit .259 with 30 home runs and 77 runs batted in. His 30 home runs tied for the fifth-most in all of Minor League Baseball, with 25 of those 30 coming in the Pacific Coast League. He was originally selected by the Cardinals in the 15th round of the 2009 draft out of University City High School in San Diego, CA.
LOGAN SCHAFER, OF
Schafer, 30, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on December 1st. The left-handed hitting outfielder has appeared in 318 career Major League games between Milwaukee and Minnesota, including 26 games with the Twins in 2016. Schafer appeared in 64 games with Triple-A Rochester last season, hitting .264 with four home runs and 19 RBI while posting a .340 on-base percentage. He was originally selected by the Brewers in the third round of the 2008 draft out of Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.
SEAN COYLE, IF
Coyle, who will be 25 for the 2017 season, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on December 15th. He appeared in 104 games between the Angels and Red Sox organizations in 2016, batting .181 with eight home runs and 27 RBI, playing second base, third base and outfield. Coyle was originally selected by Boston in the third round of the 2010 draft, and he's hit .237 with 69 home runs and 275 RBI over a seven-year minor league career.
TOMO OHKA, RHP
Ohka, who will turn 41 in March, was signed as a minor league free agent on December 15th. The veteran right-hander has appeared in 202 games (178 starts) over a 10-year Major League career, although his last appearance in the big leagues came with Cleveland in 2009. Ohka, who last appeared professionally in the United States in 2014 for the Independent Bridgeport Bluefish, has converted to a knuckleball pitcher and will be a big league invite for the Orioles this spring.
WELINGTON CASTILLO, C
Castillo, 29, was signed by Baltimore on December 16th to a one-year major league contract with an option for 2018. He hit .264 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 68 RBI in 113 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, ranking third in RBI and fourth in home runs among National League catchers. Over 509 career Major League games, he has hit .255/318/416 with 96 doubles, 60 home runs and 230 RBI. Originally signed by the Chicago Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, Castillo played parts of six seasons with the Cubs (2010-15) and has also spent time with Seattle (2015) and the Diamondbacks (2015-16).
JESUS MONTERO, 1B/DH
Montero, 27, hit .317 with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games for Triple-A Buffalo in 2016. The former catcher was named to the International League midseason and postseason All-Star teams, as he ranked among IL leaders in hits (2nd, 155) and average (5th, .317). He's played in five major league seasons between the Yankees and Mariners, batting .253 with 28 home runs and 104 RBI. Montero is suspended for the first 50 games of the 2017 season after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
ZACH STEWART, RHP
Stewart, 30, played in Korea the last two seasons, going 19-9 with a 3.76 ERA in 44 starts for the NC Dinos. Over an eight-year minor league career, the Texas Tech product has gone 35-40 with a 3.64 ERA in 174 games (120 starts). He's also pitched in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, going 3-10 with a 6.82 ERA in 33 games (14 starts) during 2011 and 2012. If he were to play for Norfolk it would be the 5th IL team he's played for, as he's previously pitched for Louisville (2009), Charlotte (2011 & 2013), Pawtucket (2012) and Gwinnett (2014).
TREY HALEY, RHP
Haley, 26, was reportedly signed by the Orioles as a minor league free agent on January 6th. The right-hander spent the majority of 2016 with Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh system, going 2-4 with a 5.76 ERA in 38 games. The right-hander was originally drafted by Cleveland in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft out of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, TX. In nine minor league seasons, Haley has gone 22-35 with a 4.85 ERA in 252 games (49 starts).
CODY SATTERWHITE, RHP
Satterwhite, who will be 30 in 2017, split the 2016 season between Triple-A Salt Lake in the Angels system (going 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in 18 games) and the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Pacific League (going 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 20 games). In seven minor league seasons, he's gone 14-11 with a 3.28 ERA in 201 relief outings, including a career-high 57 with Triple-A Las Vegas with the Mets in 2015. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft out of the University of Mississippi.
TIM BERRY, LHP
Berry, who will turn 26 in March, was reportedly signed by the Orioles as a minor league free agent on January 9th. The left-hander, who was originally drafted by Baltimore in the 50th round of the 2009 draft out of San Marcos High School in California, split the 2016 season between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres systems, posting a 6.32 ERA in 26 games (17 starts). In seven minor league seasons (six with the Orioles), Berry has gone 32-49 with a 4.84 ERA in 165 games (132 starts).
ALEX CASTELLANOS, OF
Castellanos, 30, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on January 24th. He spent the 2016 season with Albuquerque in the Colorado system, hitting .299 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 49 games. He's posted a .289 career average through nine minor league seasons after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 10th round of the 2008 draft. Castellanos appeared in 24 major league games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 and 2013, hitting .171 with two home runs and four RBI.
JOHNNY GIAVOTELLA, IF
Giavotella, 29, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on February 6th. He spent the majority of the 2016 season with the Los Angeles Angels, where he hit .260 with six home runs, 20 doubles and 31 RBI in 99 games. Over six big league seasons with the Angels and Kansas City Royals, he's hit .256/.295/.361 with 14 home runs and 125 RBI. He was originally selected by Kansas City in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft out of the University of New Orleans.
ROBERT ANDINO, IF
Andino, 32, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on February 6th. He spent most of 2016 with Triple-A New Orleans in the Miami system, where he hit .267 with 13 home runs, 24 doubles and 46 RBI in 108 games. Over a 10-year MLB career, Andino has hit .233 with 18 home runs and 97 RBI over 481 games with the Marlins, Orioles and Seattle Mariners. Originally selected by the Marlins in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft, he played for the Tides in both 2010 & 2011, hitting .265 in 134 games.
CHRIS JOHNSON, IF
Johnson, 32, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent with a major league invite to spring training on February 13th. Over an eight-year MLB career with Houston, Arizona, Atlanta, Cleveland and Miami, he's hit .275 with 63 home runs and 339 RBI. Originally selected by Houston in the 4th round of the 2006 draft out of Stetson University, Johnson appeared in 113 games with Miami in 2016, hitting .222 with five home runs and 24 RBI. He is also the son of Tides manager, Ron Johnson.
JUAN FRANCISCO, IF
Francisco, 29, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on February 15. He's appeared in six major league seasons with Cincinnati, Atlanta, Milwaukee and Toronto, hitting .236 with 48 home runs and 152 RBI. Over a seven-year minor league career, he's hit .287/.319/.503 with 114 home runs and 430 RBI. Originally signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 2004, Francisco has previously appeared in the International League with the Louisville Bats (2009-11) and Buffalo Bisons (2014).
MICHAEL CHOICE, OF
Choice, 27, was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on February 15. A first round pick by Oakland in 2010 (10th overall), he's appeared in 96 MLB games across three seasons with the Athletics and Texas Rangers, most recently in 2015. Choice spent the 2016 campaign with Triple-A Columbus in the Indians system, hitting .246 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI in 71 games.
Players claimed off of waivers
JED BRADLEY, LHP
Bradley, 26, was claimed off of waivers from Atlanta on October 7th. He posted a 3.09 ERA in 35 games (13 starts) at three different levels in the Braves system last season before being promoted to Atlanta, where he pitched to a 5.14 ERA in six games. He was originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 15th overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Georgia Tech. Bradley was designated for assignment by Baltimore and outrighted off the 40-man roster on November 8th.
Players acquired in a trade
LOGAN VERRETT, RHP
Verrett, 26, was acquired by the Orioles from the New York Mets on November 30th in exchange for cash considerations. The right-hander spent most of 2016 with the Mets, going 3-8 with a 5.20 ERA in 35 games (12 starts), striking out 66 in 91.2 innings of work. He's posted a 4.65 ERA in 53 career games (16 starts) at the major league level while going 35-16 with a 3.93 ERA in 89 career games (82 starts) at the minor league level. Verrett was originally selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2011 draft out of Baylor University.
SETH SMITH, OF
Smith, 34, was acquired by Baltimore from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for RHP Yovani Gallardo on January 6th. He hit .249 with 16 home runs and a career-high 63 RBI in 137 games for the Mariners last season, leading Seattle batters to a .326 batting average with runners in scoring position. Originally selected by Colorado in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft, Smith has hit .261/344/447 with 205 doubles, 31 triples, 113 home runs and 426 RBI in 1,138 MLB games between the Mariners, Padres, Athletics and Rockies.
GABRIEL YNOA, RHP
Ynoa, 23, was acquired by Baltimore from the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations on February 10th. Over 136 career minor league games (128 starts) in the Mets system, Ynoa has gone 59-30 with a 3.36 ERA. He went 12-5 with a 3.97 ERA over 25 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2016, ranking third in the Pacific Coast League in innings pitched. He was originally signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent on November 19, 2009. To make room for Ynoa on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated catcher Francisco Pena for assignment.
Players re-signed by Baltimore
RICHARD RODRIGUEZ, RHP
Rodriguez, who will turn 27 in March, spent the entire 2016 season with Norfolk. In 48 games (two starts) with the Tides, he went 6-2 with two saves and a 2.53 ERA. Rodriguez allowed just nine of 35 inherited runners to score as he held International League batters to a .216 average with 81 strikeouts in 81.2 innings of work. He ranked among IL relievers in fewest baserunners per nine IP (1st, 9.54), lowest batting average (2nd, .201) and lowest walks per nine IP (2nd, 2.18). Originally signed as a free agent by Houston, Rodriguez was acquired by Baltimore in a trade with the Astros, in exchange for cash considerations, on June 25, 2015.
AUDRY PEREZ, C
Perez, who will be 28 in 2016, re-signed with Baltimore after spending the last two seasons in Norfolk. In 2016, he hit .291 with six home runs and 38 RBI for the Tides and was named to the International League Midseason All-Star Team. Perez posted a .992 fielding percentage behind the plate for the Tides last season while throwing out 29.6 % of attempted basestealers. He was acquired by Baltimore from the Colorado Rockies, in exchange for cash considerations, on April 2, 2015.
LOGAN ONDRUSEK, RHP
Ondrusek, who will be 32 for the 2017 campaign, was re-signed by Baltimore to a Major League contract on December 13th. He appeared in seven games with the Orioles in 2016, posting a 9.95 ERA (7 ER, 6.1 IP). He also appeared in 30 relief outings for Yakult in the Japanese Pacific League last season, going 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Ondrusek has pitched in 288 relief outings over a six-year MLB career, going 21-11 with a 4.03 ERA. He was originally selected by Cincinnati in the 13th round of the 2005 draft out of McLennan Community College in Waco, TX.
GARABEZ ROSA, IF
Rosa, 27, split the 2016 season between Bowie and Norfolk, hitting .293 with nine home runs, 22 doubles and 65 RBI. He had 155 hits between the two levels, a total that was tied for 19th in all of Minor League Baseball. Rosa has played multiple infield positions over his 10-year minor league career since he was signed by Baltimore as a non-drafted free agent in 2006. He's hit .264 with 61 home runs and 433 RBI over his minor league career.
CHRIS DICKERSON, OF
Dickerson, 34, was re-signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on December 15th. The left-handed hitting outfielder played in 15 games with Double-A Bowie last season, batting .322 with three home runs and 10 RBI. Over a seven-year major league career, Dickerson has hit .257 with 17 home runs and 66 RBI, stealing 35 bases while only being caught seven times. He was originally selected by Cincinnati in the 16th round of the 2003 draft out of UNLV, and he appeared in 37 games for the Tides in 2013 - hitting .243 with two home runs and eight RBI.
BOBBY BUNDY, RHP
Bundy, 27, was reportedly re-signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on January 10th. He spent the majority of the 2016 season with Double-A Bowie, where he went 3-1 with a 3.49 ERA in 36 games for the Baysox. In eight seasons in the Orioles system, Bundy has posted a 4.31 ERA over 135 games (74 starts), and he appeared once for the Tides in 2016, throwing a scoreless inning of relief. Originally selected by Baltimore in the 8th round of the 2008 draft, Bobby is the older brother of Orioles right-hander, Dylan.
MARK TRUMBO, OF/1B
Trumbo, 31, was re-signed by Baltimore to a three-year contract on January 20. He led Major League Baseball with 47 home runs in 2016, a mark that tied for the fourth-highest single-season home run total in Orioles history. The two-time All-Star set career highs in hits (157), extra-base hits (75), home runs, RBI (108), runs scored (94), slugging percentage (.533), OPS (.850) and outfield assists (10) in 2016. Over a seven-year Major League career, Trumbo has batted .251/.303/.473 with 178 home runs and 517 RBI over 849 games. He was acquired by the Orioles in a trade from the Seattle Mariners on December 2, 2015.
SHARLON SCHOOP, IF
Schoop, 29, was reportedly resigned by the Orioles as a minor league free agent on January 23. He split the 2016 season between Norfolk and Bowie, hitting .226 with five home runs and 29 RBI in 86 games. Sharlon, who is the older brother of Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop, has hit .246 with 39 home runs and 329 RBI over an 11-year minor league career with the Orioles and San Francisco Giants organizations.
Notable players who have signed with other organizations
LHP Kyle Lobstein - Miami Marlins
LHP Edgar Olmos - Boston Red Sox
RHP Jason Stoffel - Pittsburgh Pirates
IF Corban Joseph - Washington Nationals
OF Steve Pearce - Toronto Blue Jays
LHP Brian Duensing - Chicago Cubs
LHP Andy Oliver - Milwaukee Brewers
LHP Jeff Beliveau - Toronto Blue Jays
OF Quincy Latimore - Detroit Tigers
RHP Pedro Beato - Philadelphia Phillies
LHP Cesar Cabral - Boston Red Sox
3B Michael Almanzar - Detroit Tigers
1B Joey Terdoslavich - Pittsburgh Pirates
OF Xavier Avery - Atlanta Braves
RHP Vance Worley - Washington Nationals
LHP Tom Gorzelanny - New York Mets
LHP Brian Matusz - Arizona Diamondbacks