The Orioles have signed 25-year old righty reliever Miguel Socolovich to a minor league deal. He pitched in 34 games (2 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the White Sox last year and he was 3-2 with 2 saves, a 3.44 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Socolovich has now pitched in 178 games (40 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 31-24 with 13 saves, a 4.03 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Socolovich has a good arm, so maybe he’ll help the Orioles out in 2012.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 28-year old righty swinging infielder Steven Tolleson to a minor league deal. Tolleson played in 123 games in AAA-ball for the A’s & Padres last year and he was 134 of 487 (.275 avg, .752 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 9 homers, 55 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. His only major league experience came back in 2010 with the A’s. Tolleson played in 25 games for the A’s in 2010 and he was 14 of 49 (.286 avg, .748 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. Tolleson will get a shot to make the Orioles as a reserve infielder next spring.

If I we’re running the Baltimore Orioles, I would be looking to add this trio of players to the mix for the 2012 season:

1. Hideki Matsui - The Orioles had to be disappointed with Vladimir Guerrero’s lack of power last year. Hideki Matsui was on a terrible A’s hitting team that didn’t give him much help. I think he would hit well in Camden Yards.

2. Kosuke Fukudome - The Orioles could use a solid lefty swinging #4 outfielder to share time with Nolan Reimold in LF in 2011. Fukudome can play all three slots in the field, so the O’s could find him 300-350 ABs in 2012.

3. Aaron Harang - The Orioles need another veteran at the top of the rotation to team with Jeremy Guthrie. Harang would be a good fit as he’s a workhorse and he pitched well for the Padres last year.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 26-year old righty swinging 2B Matt Antonelli to a minor league deal. He played in 90 games in AA+AAA-ball last year for the Nationals and he was 94 for 315 (.298 avg, .847 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Antonelli’s only major league experience came back in 2008 with the Padres. He played in 21 games for the Padres in 2008 and he was 11 for 57 (.193 avg, .573 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. This was a good gamble for the Orioles as Antonelli was once a very highly thought of prospect.

The Orioles have claimed 29-year old righty reliever Darren O’Day off waivers from the Rangers. O’Day pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 186 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 8-5 with 2 saves, a 2.89 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. This was a good pickup for the Orioles, because O’Day has been very solid lately for the Rangers.

The Baltimore Orioles have lost 29-year old righty swinging C/1B Jake Fox to free agency. Fox played in 27 games for the Orioles last year and he was 15 for 61 (.246 avg, .756 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs. He played in 65 games in his two years with the Orioles and he was 37 for 161 (.230 avg, .720 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 7 homers and 16 RBIs. Fox will hook on with another team this winter, but he wasn’t likely going to make the Orioles’ roster in 2012.

32-year old righty reliever/starter Chris Jakubauskas has elected to leave the Orioles as a free agent. He pitched in 33 games (6 starts) for the Orioles last year and he was 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. Jakubauskas has now pitched in 69 games (15 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 8-10 with a 5.58 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. The Orioles are not going to miss him at all.