O'Day signs, update on Hudson

The Orioles are down to five unsigned arbitration-eligible players. They reached agreement with reliever Darren O'Day last month, according to a team official, so his name should have been crossed off the list I provided over the weekend. O'Day, claimed off waivers from the Texas Rangers on Nov. 2, earned $1.25 million last season while going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He had a much better and healthier 2010, going 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 72 games. The Sun is reporting that O'Day will make $1.35 million this year. The Orioles will exchange salary proposals with their last five eligible players - Robert Andino, Brad Bergesen, Jeremy Guthrie, Jim Johnson and Adam Jones - if agreements aren't reached by noon tomorrow. Hearings will be scheduled next month in St. Petersburg, Fla., but as I've written, the two sides will pretty much split the difference. Also, I've been asked about outfielder Kyle Hudson, who was designated for assignment when the Orioles signed Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. I'm told that Hudson can't be placed on waivers. The Orioles must trade or release him, and we could know the outcome by Friday. I'm trying to multi-task while prepping for "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report," but I'll provide an explanation later today. Hudson, 25, batted .143 (4-for-28) in 14 games with the Orioles in 2011 after hitting a combined .296/.375/.336 in 119 games across three minor league levels earlier in the year. He's never hit a home run in professional baseball.