Orioles Sign David Holmberg, Elvis Araujo

The Orioles have announced the signings of lefties David Holmberg and Elvis Araujo. Baltimore also made its deal with Craig Gentry official. Neither Holmberg nor Araujo will be invited to MLB Spring Training. Presumably, though, both have recent MLB experience.

Holmberg, 26, threw 57 2/3 innings last year for the White Sox, making seven starts along with thirty relief appearances. He carried a 4.68 ERA, but things look even worse when you look deeper. Holmberg coughed up a dozen home runs and managed only 33 strikeouts to go with 34 walks on the year.

Araujo is also 26. He’s a year removed from a two-year run in the Phillies’ pen, over which he maintained a 4.35 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 over 62 total innings. He took the ball just six times for Japan’s Chunichi Dragons in 2017, so he’ll be looking to regain his footing upon returning to affiliated ball.

Obviously, the O’s don’t expect either of these two hurlers to compete for roster spots in camp. But it’s possible to imagine either ending up in the majors at some point, depending upon how the season unfolds. Baltimore still has a largely unsettled mix of lefties in its MLB relief corps. Beyond injured closer Zach Britton, the 40-man roster currently includes Richard Bleier, Donnie Hart, and Rule 5 pick Nestor Cortes. The O’s have already have several southpaws slated to participate in MLB camp as non-roster players, including Josh Edgin, Joely Rodriguez, Jason Gurka, and Andrew Faulkner.