Baltimore Orioles- sign superstar for tow-year, $15.27million deal

The Orioles announced seven minor league deals Thursday afternoon, with just catcher Michael Perez and right-hander Albert Suarez having prior major league experience.

Perez was drafted in the fifth round by the Diamondbacks in 2011 but did not make his major league debut until 2018 with the Rays. Perez played three seasons in Tampa as a reliever for Wilson Ramos and, later, Mike Zunino. During those three seasons, Perez appeared in 84 games and batted.221/.286/.314 in 228 plate appearances. Because of his poor performance, the team designated Perez for assignment as they tried to overhaul their catching corps following their AL pennant-winning 2020 season.

After being claimed off waivers by the Rays, Perez returned to the NL to serve as Jacob Stallings’ backup in Pittsburgh for the 2021 season. Perez appeared in a career-high 70 games with the Pirates in 2021, although he only hit.143/.221/.290 in 231 plate appearances. Despite his poor performance, Perez stayed with the Pirates to begin the 2022 season until being dealt to the Mets just before the trade deadline that summer.

Perez was finally designated for assignment by the Mets in October before rejoining them on a minor level deal later in the winter. Following the placements of Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido, Perez was able to clinch a berth on the 40-man roster in May.

Perez will serve as non-roster depth for the Orioles behind catching tandem Adley Rutschman and James McCann, as well as fellow minor league signing David Banuelos, who has no major league experience but slashed.270/.369/.526 at the Double-A level for the Twins last year.Suarez, 34, last participated in the major leagues as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2017. Across 115 2/3 innings of major league work, the righty has a 4.51 ERA and a 4.40 FIP. Suarez has since appeared briefly with the Diamondbacks at the Triple-A level before heading overseas. In 162 innings of action in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, the righty has a 3.00 ERA.

Suarez is returning to the United States after a half-decade overseas as a member of the Orioles organization, where he will serve as non-roster pitching depth who might pitch out of the rotation or in the bullpen. It’s a role he shares with Tucker Davidson, who was sent down to the minors earlier this offseason. Suarez is expected to contend for a spot on the major league team this spring alongside Davidson, Mike Baumann, and Bruce Zimmermann.