Gilmartin, Peterson and Sucre enter free agency

The offseason is moving through the period when players who have been outrighted off the 40-man roster can elect free agency. Players with a previous outright or who built up three years of service time in the majors.

The market is open and the list of Orioles to enter it includes pitcher Sean Gilmartin, infielder Jace Peterson and catcher Jesús Sucre.

The list of surprises is empty.

The Orioles designated Gilmartin on June 25, claimed pitcher Tayler Scott off waivers from the Mariners and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. They selected Gilmartin's contract the previous week and designated outfielder Joey Rickard.

Gilmartin made only one appearance with the Orioles, getting a rare start on June 21 in Seattle and allowing five runs and seven hits with two walks and two home runs in 2 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.95 ERA and 1.167 WHIP in 66 innings with Norfolk.

The first parting with Gilmartin came on Nov. 1, 2018, when the Orioles outrighted him. He elected free agency, but re-signed the following day and received an invitation to spring training.

Scott, the first pitcher from South Africa to play in the majors, allowed 18 runs and 20 hits with five home runs in 8 2/3 relief innings with the Orioles, and only one run with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings with Norfolk. He's balancing on the 40-man roster bubble.

The Orioles could attempt to again re-sign Gilmartin to a minor league deal as a depth move for Triple-A. There has to be some level of appeal for Gilmartin, considering how many pitchers are used each season. And he did choose to stay in the organization this summer after clearing waivers.

Peterson had his contract selected on July 25 while the Orioles optioned third baseman Rio Ruiz to Norfolk. They designated Peterson on Sept. 3 and selected outfielder Mason Williams' contract.

Peterson appeared in 29 games with the Orioles and batted .220/.269/.330 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs in 108 plate appearances. His value came in his versatility, with manager Brandon Hyde using him at second base and third base and in left field and right field.

The Orioles had re-signed Peterson to a minor league deal on Nov. 20 after outrighting him on the same day as Gilmartin. Peterson just took longer to decide that he wanted to stay in the organization.

Williams, meanwhile, could be in the outfield mix in 2020, though he isn't assured of staying on the 40-man roster. His audition was cut short last month due to a knee injury.

Sucre broke camp with the Orioles and was designated for assignment on April 28 during a flurry of moves that also included starter Alex Cobb going on the injured list and reliever Jimmy Yacabonis being optioned.

The three transactions created room on the 25-man roster for pitchers Branden Kline and Luis Ortiz and catcher Austin Wynns.

Sucre batted .210/.269/.242 with two doubles and three RBIs in 20 games, threw out four of eight runners attempting to steal and tossed a scoreless relief inning after the Orioles signed him to a minor league deal on Feb. 5. He reported late to camp due to work visa issues in Venezuela and was placed on the temporary inactive list in May and the restricted list Aug. 1 with Norfolk after accepting his outright assignment.

The first explanation centered on Sucre relocating his family to Miami. He returned home in August for personal reasons and never came back to the Tides.

Sucre batted .283/.333/.364 with 15 doubles and 19 RBIs in 50 games with Norfolk and he threw out 11 of 27 runners attempting to steal. He'll try to latch on with a team that gives him a chance to return to the majors.

A return to the Orioles seems as unlikely as Stevie Wilkerson winning a Cy Young Award.

Former Orioles pitchers Mike Wright and Dan Straily also filed for free agency.

Wright had a 9.45 ERA and 2.025 WHIP in 10 games with the Orioles and a 6.75 ERA and 1.813 WHIP in nine with the Mariners, who acquired him in an April 24 trade for infielder Ryne Ogren.

Ogren batted .253/.343/.318 in 92 games with Single-A Delmarva. He played all four infield positions and left field and caught one inning.

The Orioles signed Straily as a free agent on April 5 and traded him to the Phillies on July 31 in a cash transaction after he went 2-4 with a 9.82 ERA and 1.993 WHIP in 14 games (eight starts). He surrendered 22 home runs in 47 2/3 innings.

Straily was 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.273 WHIP in six starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He didn't make it back to the majors.

He won't make it back to Baltimore unless he's the visiting pitcher.

Today's question: Would you want Gilmartin, Peterson, Sucre, Wright or Straily back in the organization?