Everth Cabrera, the 40-man roster and Ramon Martinez

SARASOTA, Fla. - The last few Orioles position players are due to report today, and they should be joined by infielder Everth Cabrera, who was headed to Sarasota last night.

We may never run out of players to interview.

Cabrera might not be made available to the media before the deal becomes official, but we're getting real close.

The Orioles already know that Cabrera can play shortstop and they assume that he can make a smooth transition to second base. They also will put him in the outfield as they decide how to shape the rest of their roster if he breaks camp with the team.

Starting second baseman? Utility player? Nothing wrong with a little competition.

It's easy to become intrigued by Cabrera, who would give the Orioles a legitimate threat on the bases. It's not wasted speed. The guy can swipe a bag.

If you need a reminder how speed can influence a game, I'll direct you to the Royals' highlight film.

The Orioles have done their homework on the guy and believe he will fit in a clubhouse that polices itself. He won't be around long if problems arise.

A player must come off the 40-man roster to make room for Cabrera, and it's fair to assume that an infielder is most at risk.

Here's the current roster:

Pitchers
Tim Berry
Brad Brach
Zach Britton
Dylan Bundy
Wei-Yin Chen
Oliver Drake
Eddie Gamboa
Jason Garcia
Kevin Gausman
Miguel Gonzalez
Tommy Hunter
Ubaldo Jimenez
Brian Matusz
T.J. McFarland
Bud Norris
Darren O'Day
Chris Tillman
Logan Verrett
Ryan Webb
Tyler Wilson
Mike Wright
Wesley Wright

Catchers
Steve Clevenger
Caleb Joseph
Matt Wieters

Infielders
Ryan Flaherty
J.J. Hardy
Manny Machado
Rey Navarro
Jimmy Paredes
Jonathan Schoop
Christian Walker

Outfielders
Alejandro De Aza
Alex Hassan
Adam Jones
David Lough
Steve Pearce
Travis Snider
Delmon Young
Henry Urrutia

I don't need to remind you that Chris Davis is off the 40-man while he's got one game remaining on his suspension, but I'm doing it anyway.

Are Paredes and Navarro on the bubble? Paredes didn't impress in the field last year, causing manager Buck Showalter to turn to Ryan Flaherty as his third baseman, and the Orioles were the only team offering Navarro a major league deal over the winter.

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, former Dodgers right-hander Ramon Martinez is expected to visit camp again this week. He's close with pitching coach Dave Wallace.

There may be more going on here than two friends catching up.

The Orioles would like to hire Martinez, creating a role for him that takes advantage of his pitching knowledge and contacts in the Dominican Republic. One official said it was "under consideration."