Orioles claim Lewin Díaz from Pirates (and sign Franchy Cordero)

The Orioles are prepared to arrive at the Winter Meetings next week with 37 players on their 40-man roster.

Multiple moves were announced earlier today, with one player joining the organization and two others removed from the 40-man.

The Orioles claimed first baseman Lewin Díaz off waivers from the Pirates. Outfielder Daz Cameron was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk after clearing waivers, and the Phillies claimed outfielder Jake Cave.

Díaz, 26, fits the profile of the left-handed hitting first baseman/designated hitter that the Orioles are shopping for, but they’ll keep checking the market to further address that part of the roster.

The Pirates claimed Díaz from the Marlins on Nov. 22 and designated him for assignment two days ago after signing free agent Carlos Santana. They also traded for first baseman Ji-Man Choi, lessening the chances of Díaz staying with the team.

He becomes insurance for the Orioles, who have prioritized left-handed bats this winter.

Díaz is a 6-foot-4, 217-pounder from the Dominican Republic who’s batted .181/.227/.340 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 27 RBIs, 19 walks and 99 strikeouts in 112 games and 343 plate appearances over the past three seasons. He slashed .169/.224/.288 this year with four doubles, five homers, 11 RBIs, 11 walks and 54 strikeouts in 58 games during three stints with the Marlins.

The Twins gave Díaz a $1.4 million bonus as part of their 2013-14 international signing class and traded him to Miami in 2019 for pitchers Sergio Romo and Chris Vallimont. The Orioles claimed Vallimont off waivers from the Twins in May and he remains on the 40-man.

Díaz is a plus defender at first base with 16 defensive runs saved and nine outs above average in the majors. He’s a .263/.322/.469 hitter in eight minor league seasons and had 19 doubles, 19 home runs and 64 RBIs this summer in 82 games with Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Orioles could attempt to pass Díaz through waivers later in the offseason because he’s out of options. Two teams have failed in the last two weeks.

Cave was claimed off waivers from the Twins on Oct. 11 and Cameron from the Tigers on Nov. 9.

The Astros made Cameron the 37th overall pick in the 2015 draft when Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias served as their scouting director. The former top 100 prospect is the son of three-time Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron.

Update: The Orioles brought in another left-handed bat today, signing first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero to a minor league deal.

The sides agreed to a split contract, with FanSided’s Robert Murray first reporting that Cordero will be paid $1.35 million in the majors and $450,000 in the minors.

Cordero, 28, is a career .221/.290/.386 hitter in six major league seasons, the last two with the Red Sox. He batted .219/.300/.397 in 84 games this summer with 17 doubles, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, 28 walks and 92 strikeouts.

A hard-contact guy when he makes it, but with limited success in the majors, including his first three seasons with the Padres.

Cordero went 8-for-23 (.348) with three doubles and two home runs in eight games against the Orioles this year.

Over 10 minor league seasons, Cordero has slashed .283/.346/.452 with 118 doubles, 56 triples, 70 home runs and 355 RBIs spread over 2,891 plate appearances.

Cordero's signing doesn't impact the 40-man roster, which holds at 37 players.