The Orioles have signed 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Endy Chavez to a 1-year deal. Chavez played in 83 games for the Rangers last year and he was 77 for 256 (.301 avg, .749 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 5 homers, 27 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He has now played in 910 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 682 of 2,493 (.274 avg, .686 OPS) with 326 runs scored, 24 homers, 217 RBIs and 97 stolen bases. Chavez will probably be platooning in LF with Nolan Reimold and I really like this pickup for the Orioles. Chavez has a good bat and he can play all three outfield positions well defensively.

The Orioles have signed 27-year old righty reliever Jon Link to a minor league deal. Link pitched in 54 games (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Dodgers last year and he was 2-2 with 11 saves, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. His only major league experience came back in 2010 with the Dodgers. Link pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers in 2010 and he was 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. Link will have a decent shot this spring to win a job in the Orioles’ bullpen.

The Orioles have signed 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Lee Cruz to a minor league deal. Cruz played in Independent ball last year. In 2010, Cruz played in 106 games in four levels of the minors for the White Sox & Astros and he was 140 of 408 (.343 avg, .950 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 19 homers, 90 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He has now played in 489 games in his first five years in the minors and he is 512 of 1,825 (.281 avg, .778 OPS) with 251 runs scored, 55 homers, 287 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He could win a job on the Orioles’ bench in 2012 with a strong spring training.

The Orioles have signed 28-year old switch-hitting outfielder Antoan Richardson to a minor league deal. Richardson played in his first 9 games in the majors last year (for the Atlanta Braves) and he was 2 for 4 (.500 avg, 1.000 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 stolen base. He also played in 93 games in AA+AAA ball for the Braves last year and he was 78 of 275 (.284 avg, .758 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 1 homer, 21 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Richardson could get a shot next spring to win a job on the Orioles’ bench in 2012.

The Orioles have signed 26-year old righty starter/reliever Kyler Newby to a minor league deal. Newby pitched in 38 games (16 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he worked in 38 games (16 starts) in which he was 10-5 with 1 save, a 4.26 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He has now pitched in 218 games (29 starts) in his first seven years in the minors and he is 28-15 with 36 saves, a 3.32 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Newby will probably start the 2012 season in AAA-ball, but if he pitches well, he could get promoted quickly as the Orioles need help in the bullpen.

The Orioles have signed 30-year old lefty starting pitcher Tsuyoshi Wade to a 2-year, $8.15 million dollar deal with an option for 2014. Wada started 26 games in Japan last year and he was 16-5 with a 1.51 WHIP. He started 207 games in his nine years in Japan and he was 107-61. He is a soft tossing lefty who will likely get a job in the rotation because of how much the Orioles are paying him. There is a risk here as Kei Igawa was also a soft tossing lefty from Japan who was terrible for the Yankees. This is a very high risk/high reward signing for the Orioles.

The Orioles have decided not to tender a contract to 27-year old lefty starter/reliever Jo-Jo Reyes for the 2012 season, making him a free agent. Reyes pitched in 9 games (5 starts) for the Orioles last year and he was 2-3 with a 6.16 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He pitched in 29 games (25 starts) for the Orioles & Blue Jays last year and he was 7-11 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. Reyes has now pitched in 70 games (62 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 12-26 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. This is no loss for the Orioles.

The Orioles have decided not to tender a contract to 33-year old lefty swinging outfielder Luke Scott for the 2012 season. Scott played in 64 games for the Orioles last year and he was 46 for 209 (.220 avg, .703 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 9 homers, 22 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He played in 471 games in his four years with the Orioles and he was 411 of 1,580 (.260 avg, .826 OPS) with 222 runs scored, 84 homers, 236 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Scott should have no problem finding a new team and the Orioles hope that it won’t be a team from the A.L. East.

The Orioles have selected 25-year old lefty swinging IF/OF Ryan Flaherty from the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft earlier today. Flaherty played in 132 games in AA+AAA-ball for the Cubs last year and he was 133 of 475 (.280 avg, .824 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 19 homers, 88 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 450 games in his first four years in the minors and he is 465 for 1,670 (.278 avg, .809 OPS) with 269 runs scored, 57 homers, 267 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. Flaherty is going to have a really good chance of sticking with the Orioles due to his bat and versatility in the field. He came into last year as the Cubs’ #22 prospect according to Baseball America.

The Baltimore Orioles have acquired 28-year old lefty starter/reliever Dana Eveland from the Dodgers for 24-year old righty swinging IF/OF Tyler Henson and 22-year old lefty starter/reliever Jarret Martin. Eveland pitched in 5 games (all starts) for the Dodgers last year and he was 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He has now pitched in 100 games (59 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 19-24 with 1 save, a 5.52 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. The Orioles will give Eveland a chance to win a job in the starting rotation next spring. Tyler Henson came into last season as the Orioles’ #22 prospect. Henson played in 123 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 111 of 449 (.247 avg, .634 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 3 homers, 36 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Jarret Martin pitched in 31 games (18 starts) in A-ball last year for the Orioles last year and he was 5-12 with 1 save, a 4.96 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.

UPDATE: (3/29/2012) - The Orioles have designated Dana Eveland for assignment.