Notes on Vance Worley, Chris Davis and winter ball

When the Orioles claimed pitcher Vance Worley off waivers from the Pirates earlier this week, they added a right-hander to their 40-man roster that could prove to be a solid addition to their bullpen. He's also a pitcher that has made 81 major league starts.

If he heads north with the Orioles next April, my guess is he does so in a relief role. He could be a multi-innings reliever. In 2015, he pitched to an ERA of 2.83 with an average against of .236 out of the bullpen.

Now 28, the Phillies drafted Worley twice - in Round 20 in 2005 and in Round 3 in 2008 out of Long Beach State. Worley was ranked among the Phillies' top 20 prospects three times by Baseball America. The last time was at the end of the 2010 season when he was No. 11.

No, this was not the Orioles' big move of the winter, and you don't need to plan yet for your playoff tickets. But when a player is put on waivers, you claim him then or move on. The O's saw him as an upgrade over Jorge Rondon, who was designated for assignment, so they acted when they could.

The Orioles have said they are constantly looking to build their roster and that is what this move was. They added a player they saw as an upgrade.

Winter ball: The Orioles have what seems like a pretty large contingent of players from their organization playing winter ball in locales around the world. Here is the current list. All leagues have started except for Australia and Puerto Rico:

Dominican Republic: Nick Additon, Cesar Cabral, Michael Almanzar, Audry Perez, Garabez Rosa, Andy Wilkins, Pedro Beato, Sean Bierman, Chris Jones, Pat McCoy, Luis Gonzalez, Yermin Mercedes, Elih Villanueva

Venezuela: Daniel Fajardo, Alfredo Gonzalez, Henry Urrutia, Ivan Hernandez, Marcel Prado, Oswill Lartiguez, Rossmel Perez, Jonathan Ramos, Richard Rodriguez

Mexico: Glynn Davis, Carlos Diaz, Quincy Latimore, Gene Escat, Eddie Gamboa

Australia (Perth Heat): Tad Gold, Anthony Caronia, Derek Peterson

Puerto Rico: Rey Navarro, Ozzie Martinez, Dennis Torres

Two current members of the Orioles' 40-man roster, Junior Lake and Jimmy Paredes, may play in the Dominican. Some of the listed players are pending minor league free agents.

Davis is batting .258 (8-for-31) with no homers and four RBIs in eight games in Mexico. Chance Sisco is off to an 0-for-10 start in his first three games in the Arizona Fall League. Mike Yastrzemski is batting .222 (2-for-9) with a homer and three RBIs in three games in the AFL. Urrutia is batting .333 (14-for-42) with three doubles, three homers, nine RBIs and a .967 OPS in 11 games in Venezuela.

A Davis prediction: Chris Davis may get a six-year contract worth $144 million. That is the prediction from MLBTradeRumors.com in its free agent profile of the Orioles first baseman.

An excerpt reads:

"The Orioles have expressed a desire to re-sign Davis, but I believe they'll be outbid. The Astros, Mariners, and Padres are a few speculative fits. There are scenarios where the Angels, Marlins, or Giants could make a play. A half-dozen additional teams could be added if you're willing to stretch. Still, first base doesn't seem to be an in-demand position this winter, which goes hand-in-hand with the free agent market presenting few interesting alternatives at the position. Davis' competition might be more with Cespedes, at the top end of the big bat market."

My guess is that Davis signs a deal that is north of that $144 million figure. Will he cash in that big?