Baltimore Orioles Add Organization Infield Depth With Minor League Agreement

The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a minor league deal with a free agent player.

Sep 29, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Oakland Athletics second baseman Vimael Machin (31) makes a play for an out in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This offseason is expected to be a busy one for the Baltimore Orioles.

Not only do they have some key free agents hitting the market in ace Corbin Burnes and right fielder Anthony Santander, but they also have money to spend to upgrade holes on the roster.

Given how many young players are prominent parts of the team’s plans moving forward, they can afford to spend lavishly on some big-named free agents.

While no dominoes have fallen at the top of the market, teams are busy making moves to add organizational depth to the minor leagues.

On Monday, the Orioles did just that.

According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the team has agreed to a minor league deal with Vimael Machin. He is a former Athletics infielder who hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since 2022. A client of Usus Sports Management, he spent the 2024 campaign in the Mexican League.

The Orioles have signed veteran infielder Vimael Machín to a minor-league deal with an invite to big-league spring training, per source. Machín played last season in Mexico.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) November 11, 2024

31 years old, Machin was a 10th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 MLB draft. He landed with the Athletics in the Rule 5 Draft in 2019.

His MLB debut came during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign when he received 71 plate appearances. In the 2021 season, he had only 37 plate appearances before receiving an extended look in 2022.

That year he got into 73 games and had 253 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do much with the opportunity as he recorded a slash line of .220/.300/.287 with nine doubles and one home run.

While he was soft-hitting, Machin did show that he possesses excellent discipline at the plate with a great eye. He has 36 career walks in 361 plate appearances, as his walk percentage of 10% is above league average.

With some better luck, his production at the plate could improve as his average exit velocity of 88.8 mph is slightly above the league average of 88.1.

His production in Triple-A also lends some belief that the ability is there for him to be a solid contributor.

In his career at that level, Machin has recorded a slash line of .291/.384/.439. During his 85-game stint with the los Charros de Jalisco in Mexico, he had eye-popping production of .401/.495/.579.

He will provide the Orioles with some excellent organizational depth should he not make the Major League team from his Spring Training invite.

Being a left-handed hitter only improves his odds of sticking around.