According to MLB transaction wires, the Baltimore Orioles signed a number of players to minor-league contracts on Saturday.
Albert Suarez, a right-handed pitcher, and Michael Perez, a catcher, are the two most noteworthy additions. While both have Major League experience, their chances of being on the Opening Day roster are slim.
Adley Rutschman, a front-line catcher who just finished a Silver Slugger season, is joining Perez on the team. James McCann is another capable backup for him.
In any case, Perez will probably have an opportunity to demonstrate why he ought to be the first catcher up in the event of an injury.
After being selected in the fifth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, Perez waited seven years to make his Major League Baseball debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. Perez battled for playing time and batted.221 in 84 games as a backup. In the end, he was assigned following the 2020 season.
He has since moved about, spending 2021 and 2022 as Pittsburgh’s backup before being dealt to the New York Mets. When the Mets faced injury problems in 2023, he returned to the Majors with them, although he only appeared in three games behind rookie Francisco Alvarez.
Since Suarez hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2017 with the San Francisco Giants, the Orioles can afford to take a low-risk gamble on him. For the last six years, he has primarily worked abroad, most notably with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization. He struck out twenty percent of the hitters he faced in two seasons and had a 3.04 ERA in 281 innings pitched as a full-time starter.
Catcher David Bañuelos, right-hand pitcher Wandisson Charles, left-hand pitcher Luis Gonzalez, and right-hand pitcher Nathan Webb were among the other minor-league acquisitions.