Orioles sign Nottingham to minor league deal (and notes)

The Orioles will begin announcing their selections in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft today after making a much-needed move to address their catching deficiency.

Jacob Nottingham has signed a minor league deal that likely includes an invitation to spring training. The team revealed the transaction this morning, but it's listed in Baseball-Reference.com as happening on Dec. 1.

Nottingham, 26, can provide an option at a position that's lost Pedro Severino, Austin Wynns and Nick Ciuffo from the 40-man roster. Severino signed a major league deal with the Brewers that pays $1.9 million. Wynns and Ciuffo are free agents.

The Astros selected Nottingham in the sixth round of the 2013 draft when Mike Elias was their director of amateur scouting. The Orioles hired Elias as executive vice president/general manager in November 2018.

Nottingham is a career .184/.277/.421 hitter in 53 games with the Brewers and Mariners from 2018-21. He received 45 plate appearances this summer between the two teams and went 6-for-40 with a double, three home runs, two walks and 20 strikeouts. He struck out 20 times in 20 games with Milwaukee in 2020.

Behind the plate, Nottingham has thrown out three of 14 runners attempting to steal. He's thrown out 33 percent in seven minor league seasons.

Nottingham is a career .253/.330/.409 hitter with 119 doubles, nine triples, 58 home runs and 291 RBIs in 558 minor league games.

The Astros traded Nottingham, who also plays first base, to Athletics in the Scott Kazmier deal in July 2015. He was sent to the Brewers in the Khris Davis trade in February 2016.

The Mariners selected him off waivers earlier this year and he went back to the Brewers and then the Mariners within a month. Seattle released him in September.

Nottingham was designated for assignment four times this summer. He's out of minor league options.

The Orioles don't have a catcher on their 40-man roster. They'll attempt to sign or trade for one after the implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement, and could add another catcher on a minor league deal before spring training.

Top prospect Adley Rutschman could return to Triple-A Norfolk until his long-awaited promotion.

* Minor league pitcher Conner Loeprich underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee yesterday and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022 season.

Loeprich, 24, had a 7.16 ERA and 1.591 WHIP in 44 innings with Single-A Aberdeen. He walked 15 batters and struck out 44.

The Orioles assigned Loeprich to the Arizona Fall League, where he allowed 18 earned runs (20 total) and 32 hits in 19 1/3 innings with the Mesa Solar Sox. He walked 18 batters and struck out 15.

Loeprich was a 20th-round pick of the Pirates in 2018 who came to the Orioles in a Sept. 20, 2020 trade for international signing bonus slots.

* Former Orioles reliever Brooks Kriske signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Japanese Central League.

The Orioles released Kriske on Nov. 30 to allow him to pursue an international opportunity.

An audition in September, after he was claimed off waivers from the Yankees, consisted of four appearances, 3 2/3 innings and a 12.27 ERA. Four of the five runs and hits he allowed came in an Oct. 1 game in Toronto.