1:15pm: Baltimore has announced the signing of Peterson as well as those of three other players. Infielders Christopher Bostick and Zach Vincej will join the utility competition, with righty Jeffeson Medina also coming to the organization on a minors pact.
Bostick and Vincej have each briefly cracked the majors in each of the past two seasons and could certainly challenge Peterson and others for a job (or a spot on the depth chart). Medina, meanwhile, has yet to play past the High-A level but has turned in an intriguing showing thus far (one earned run in 14 innings) in the Venezuelan Winter League.
9:17am: The Orioles have reached a deal to bring back infielder Jace Peterson, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). It’s a minor-league deal, the other terms of which are not known. He had elected free agency after being outrighted by the O’s at the end of the 2018 campaign.
Peterson, 28, has historically lined up mostly at second base. But he has expanded his repertoire in recent seasons, logging significant innings in the corner outfield and at third base while briefly stepping in at both shortstop and first.
Unfortunately, the results at the plate haven’t really changed. Peterson ended his 2018 campaign with 246 plate appearances of 78 OPS+ hitting, an exact match for the rate of production — 22% below the league mean — he has maintained through 1,524 trips to the dish over his five-year career.
The O’s surely don’t yet have a clear idea of how their reserve unit will shape up, and the picture will no doubt change as opportunities arise over the offseason. That said, Peterson figures to have a strong chance at earning a job in camp.
