Baltimore Orioles Signed Six World Class Players To Major-League Deals As a Remarkable day
The Baltimore Orioles signed several players to minor-league contracts on Saturday, per MLB transaction wires.
The two most notable signings are catcher Michael Perez and right-handed pitcher Albert Suarez. Both have Major League experience but face long odds of making the Opening Day roster.
Perez is joining a team that already has a frontline catcher in Adley Rutschman, who is coming off a Silver Slugger season. He also has a capable backup in James McCann.
Still, Perez will likely get a shot to prove he should be the first catcher up should either get hurt.
Perez made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays, as it took him seven years to reach the Majors after he was fifth-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. As a backup, Perez batted .221 in 84 games as he struggled for playing time. He was eventually designated for assignment after the 2020 season.
Since then, he’s bounced around, serving as a backup in Pittsburgh in 2021 and 2022 before he was traded to the New York Mets. He made it back to the Majors with the Mets in 2023 when they had injury issues behind the plate, but he only played in three games behind young starter Francisco Alvarez.
Suarez is a low-risk gamble for the Orioles, as he hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2017 with the San Francisco Giants. He has spent most of the last six years overseas, with his best work coming with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Samsung Lions. In two seasons he struck out 20 percent of the batters he faced and sported a 3.04 ERA in 281 innings as a full-time starter.
Among the other minor-league signings were catcher David Bañuelos, right-handed pitcher Wandisson Charles, left-handed pitcher Luis Gonzalez and right-handed pitcher Nathan Webb.
Matthew Postins covers baseball for several SI/Fan Nation sites, including Inside the Orioles. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com
