Orioles sign Tomo Ohka, three others to minor league deals

The Orioles announced today that they've signed four players to minor league deals, including Japanese right-hander Tomo Ohka, who turns 41 in March and last pitched in the majors with the Indians in 2009.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette signed Ohka for the Red Sox in 1999.

The Orioles also confirmed that they've re-signed outfielder Chris Dickerson and infielder Garabez Rosa, and they also signed infielder Sean Coyle.

Ohka is 51-68 with a 4.26 ERA in 10 major league seasons with the Red Sox, Expos - yes, he goes back that far - Nationals, Brewers, Blue Jays and Indians. He was in White Sox camp in 2008 when Chris Davis hit a long home run off him. They'll have something to talk about later.

The Blue Jays released Ohka on March 23, 2014 and he signed with Bridgeport in the independent Atlantic League, going 7-12 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.678 WHIP in 26 starts. There are no records of him pitching professionally after 2014.

Ohka was 1-5 with a 5.96 ERA in 18 games (six starts) with the Indians in 2009. He's reinvented himself as a knuckleball pitcher.

The Orioles signed Dickerson to a minor league deal on Aug. 20 and assigned him to Double-A Bowie, where he went 19-for-59 (.322) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 10 RBIs in 15 games. He became a free agent in November.

Dickerson, who turns 35 in April, appeared in 56 games with the Orioles in 2013 and batted .238/.266/.400 with four home runs, including a three-run walk-off against the Tigers.

Rosa, 27, is Bowie's career leader in games played (466) and hits (488) and was chosen to the Eastern League All-Star team this summer. He's played every position in the infield and outfield in the minors.

Rosa hit .303/.326/.412 in 110 games with Bowie this summer.

Coyle, 24, was a third-round pick of the Red Sox in 2010. He batted .295/.371/.512 with 23 doubles, 16 home runs and 61 RBIs in 97 games with Double-A Portland in 2014, but he's struggled the last two seasons while battling injuries.

Coyle mostly plays second base, but he also has experience at third base and center field.