The Orioles spent most of final offseason with no catcher on their 40-man roster. After a pair of waiver claims Friday, they’ve six.
Baltimore claimed two backstops from the Cincinnati Reds in Aramis Garcia and Mark Kolozsvary and designated right-handed relievers Louis Head and Beau Sulser for project to open 40-man roster spots.
The Orioles’ 40-man roster is full, with Garcia and Kolozsvary becoming a member of Adley Rutschman, Robinson Chirinos, Anthony Bemboom and Cam Gallagher as their catchers. With Chirinos set to change into a free agent after the World Series, the Orioles lack a transparent backup for Rutschman, their former prime prospect who received Most Valuable Oriole honors and figures to be among the many finalists for American League Rookie of the Year.
Backup catcher is a transparent space for the Orioles to improve in an offseason by which they’re anticipated to extend payroll. Although the group had a 96-win tempo when Rutschman began at catcher, Baltimore went 33-45 in any other case.
Until signing Chirinos on the cusp of spring coaching, Baltimore didn’t have a catcher on its 40-man roster. With Major League Baseball’s lockout of its gamers, groups have been unable to make strikes that impacted their 40-man rosters, although the Orioles used that point to ink minor league offers with Bemboom and different catchers who competed in spring to again up Chirinos when it turned clear Rutschman wouldn’t be capable to start the season within the majors due to a proper tricep pressure. To name up Rutschman on May 21, the Orioles designated Bemboom for project, however he remained within the group. The group chosen his contract final week to stop him from reaching minor league free company, at the least quickly maintaining him within the combine to again up Rutschman in 2023.
Right-hander Anthony Castro, designated so as to add Bemboom to the 40-man roster, elected to change into a free agent after he cleared waivers, the group introduced Friday morning, with the Boston Red Sox claiming right-hander Jake Reed from Baltimore after he had been designated.
Garcia, 29, has appeared within the majors with the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics and the Reds since 2018, hitting .216/.253/.332 in 116 video games. The 2014 second-round draft choose hit .213 with a .507 OPS for Cincinnati in 2022, with an look within the remaining recreation of the season being his first since early July due to a sprained finger on his left hand. Garcia is eligible for arbitration for the primary time this winter, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting him to obtain a small elevate to $800,000. He turns into the ninth arbitration-eligible Oriole, with outfielder Jake Cave, additionally claimed for the reason that finish of the common season, amongst them.
Kolozsvary, 27, made his main league debut this season, showing in 10 video games for the Reds and hitting .200/.238/.450 with a house run and 9 strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. He hit .175 with a .594 in 61 video games with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate throughout the previous two seasons. He entered this season because the Reds’ No. 26 prospect.
Head and Sulser, each former waiver claims, made 11 mixed appearances for the Orioles, posting ERAs of 1.80 and three.55, respectively, of their restricted work.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com