Leon on Orioles' radar again as they seek backup catcher

SAN DIEGO - On the Orioles' list of priorities at the Winter Meetings, finding another catcher ranks somewhere below outfielders and bullpen arms. Not a huge priority or a splashy move, but a perceived necessity with Matt Wieters' uncertain status for opening day. One name to keep in mind is Sandy Leon, a switch-hitter who's appeared in 34 games with the Nationals over parts of three major league seasons. The Orioles have liked Leon for a while and they've engaged in trade talks with the Nationals in previous years, including one proposal I've written about in the past involving Jake Arrieta that fell apart. Arrieta eventually was dealt to the Cubs, and you pretty much know how that one turned out. Leon, 25, remains available in the right deal and the Orioles remain interested. It's just a question of whether their latest flirtation leads to anything substantial. Leon, who isn't arbitration-eligible until 2017, went 10-for-64 (.156) with one home run, three RBIs and 20 strikeouts over 20 games with the Nats this season. He's a career .236/.324/.329 hitter in eight minor league seasons after batting .229/.321/.371 in 51 games at Triple-A Syracuse this year. A good catch and throw guy? The Orioles always value defense first behind the plate. Take a closer look and you'll find the answer. Leon threw out 12 of 21 runners attempting to steal in the minors this summer and owns a 46 percent success rate in eight seasons. Anyway, since my streak of writing about Gavin Floyd each year at the Winter Meetings is in jeopardy of coming to an end, I wanted to bring up Leon's name again. He's still on the Orioles' radar, for what it's worth. Leon is out of minor league options. The Orioles have four catchers on their 40-man roster: Wieters, Caleb Joseph, Steve Clevenger and Michael Ohlman. They're still interested in re-signing Nick Hundley if he can't find a team willing to give him the bulk of the starts.