The Padres have claimed 26-year old righty starter/reliever Radhames Liz off waivers from the Orioles. Liz pitched in 25 games (14 starts) in AA+AAA last season and he was 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Liz also pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 0-0 with a 67.50 ERA and a 7.50 WHIP. Liz has now pitched in 28 games (21 starts) in his major league career and he is 6-8 with a 7.50 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. Liz has allowed 132 hits and he has walked 76 batters in only 110 1/3 innings in his major league career which is a big reason why the Orioles are giving up on him despite his very strong right arm.

The Orioles have signed 27-year old lefty reliever Mike Hinckley to a minor league deal. Hinckley pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Nationals last season and he was 0-0 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP. He also pitched in 33 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball in which he was 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. In parts of two years in the majors, Hinckley has pitched in 28 games (0 starts) in which he is 0-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The Orioles need help from the left side in the bullpen so it was worth taking a chance on Hinckley.

Whispers have been heard that the Orioles are considering using 34-year old righty Koji Uehara as the closer in 2009. Really? They would do that? Uehara pitched in 12 games (all starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He does have good control as he only walked 12 batters in 66 2/3 innings last season which is a plus. But, Uehara didn’t miss a lot of bats as he gave up 71 hits and he whiffed 48 batters last season. 26-year old righty Jim Johnson is still around but he didn’t fare too well as the closer late last season. He has pitched in 120 games (1 start) in his major league career and he is 6-11 with 11 saves, a 3.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He projects to be a solid set up man but he’s not really closer material. Then there is 27-year old Chris Ray who used to be a pretty effective closer before injuries set him back the last couple of seasons. He has pitched in 191 games (0 starts) in his career with the Orioles and he is 10-17 with 49 saves, a 4.11 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. I’m not so sure that it’s a smart idea to go into the season with Uehara, Ray or Johnson as the closer especially seeing how the Orioles will likely have a very, very young starting rotation. Nothing messes with a young starting pitchers’ psyche worse than pitching 7 strong innings only to watch the bullpen blow his lead. I like the idea of bringing in a veteran like Billy Wagner, J.J. Putz or Takashi Saito to close and the Orioles wouldn’t have to break the bank to sign any of them as they are all free agents with question marks which will keep the price down.

The Orioles have designated 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Chris Waters for assigment to make room on the roster for catcher Craig Tatum. Waters pitched in 5 games (1 start) for the Orioles last season and he was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He pitched in 16 games (12 starts) in his career with the Orioles in which he was 4-5 with a 5.07 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. I’m not so sure I like this move as I wouldn’t have traded Waters for Tatum. Waters is still young enough to make the Orioles pay for this decision.

UPDATE: The Brewers have signed Chris Waters to a minor league deal.

The Orioles have claimed 26-year old righty swinging catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Reds. He played in 26 games for the Reds last season (his first major league action) and he was 11 for 68 (.162 avg, .471 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. Tatum also played in 64 games in AAA-ball last year in which he was 51 for 213 (.239 avg, .638 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 3 homers and 21 RBIs. Tatum will probably battle Michel Hernandez for the right to sit behind Matt Wieters as the back up catcher for the Orioles in 2010.

The Orioles have signed 31-year old righty swinging catcher Michel Hernandez to a minor league deal. He played in 35 games for the Rays last season and he was 24 for 99 (.242 avg, .625 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Hernandez will probably be stashed at AAA to start the season as the Orioles should bring in a veteran with more major league experience than him to mentor Matt Wieters. Hernandez has now played in 45 games in which he is 28 for 118 (.237 avg, .591 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. This was a good depth signing for the Orioles.

The Orioles have claimed 26-year old righty reliever/starter Armando Gabino off waivers from the Twins. Gabino pitched in 2 games (1 start) for the Twins this season and he was 0-0 with a 17.18 ERA and a 4.91 WHIP. He allowed 9 hits and walked 5 batters in only 3 2/3 innings for the Twins. The Orioles are thinking probably that Gabino was just a tad nervous as he pitched well in AAA last season. Gabino pitched in 38 games (7 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 6-4 with 1 save, a 2.94 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. This was a nice low risk move for the Orioles as Gabino appears to have some talent based on his minor league numbers.

UPDATE: The Orioles have designated Gabino for assignment to make room on the roster for Mark Hendrickson.

26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, 31-year old righty swinging catcher Guillermo Rodriguez and 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Rich Hill all have rejected outright assignments to the minors thus becoming free agents. Fiorentino played in 24 games for the Orioles last season and he was 18 for 64 (.281 avg, .658 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. In parts of four years in the majors, Fiorentino is 40 for 148 (.270 avg, .665 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 1 homer, 21 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He should be able to get a minor league deal with another team over the winter. Guillermo Rodriguez played in 7 games last season for the Orioles and he was 0 for 5 (.000 avg, .286 OPS) with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. He also played in 89 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 73 for 299 (.244 avg, .647 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 5 homers, 30 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Rodriguez should be able to get a spring training invite as teams always need extra catchers around. Rich Hill pitched in 14 games (13 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. Despite pitching horrible for the Orioles Hill will definately get signed by a team over the winter and he is still young enough to turn things around with a pitching coach who can get him to throw strikes. Hill has now pitched in 78 games (70 starts) in his major league career and he is 21-20 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Hill is the only one of these guys who could come back to haunt the Orioles down the road.