Taking another look at the 40-man roster (Dickerson, D. Johnson elect free agency)

Anyone else staring at a pile of fun-size candy wrappers this morning and feeling a bit sheepish? I could wallpaper my living room with them. And that's no fun. The Orioles made two roster moves yesterday and more are coming. None of them will blow back your hair. They're creating room for future acquisitions and players they want to place on the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 draft. Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Chris Jones comes to mind, though the Orioles first will have to re-sign him, since he's eligible to become a minor league free agent. My colleague, Steve Melewski, has projected left-hander Tim Berry and catcher Michael Ohlman as the most likely candidates. Maybe so, but I'm reminded of the year that the Orioles protected Single-A shortstop Pedro Florimon. It was a waste of a 40-man spot. No team was going to attempt to keep him on its major league roster all season. Berry and Ohlman spent the 2013 season at Single-A Frederick. If a team took either one, it most likely would end up returning him to the Orioles for half the $50,000 price. Pretty hard to stash guys fresh from the Carolina League. The question is, are the Orioles willing to take that chance? Some people in baseball don't think so. Also, catcher Caleb Joseph hasn't been protected in the past, but it might be a wise idea this winter. The Orioles are down to 37 players on their 40-man roster. They must reinstate third baseman Manny Machado and outfielder Nolan Reimold from the 60-day disabled list, but free agents Brian Roberts, Scott Feldman, Nate McLouth, Jason Hammel, Michael Morse, Francisco Rodriguez and Chris Snyder are coming off the 40-man. The same is true of Tsuyoshi Wada and Alexi Casilla if the Orioles, as expected, decline their options for 2014. Do the Orioles keep outfielder Jason Pridie on the 40-man? Update: The Orioles announced that as expected, outfielder Chris Dickerson and infielder Dan Johnson have elected free agency after being outrighted on Thursday. Here's the current roster: Pitchers Mike Belfiore Zach Britton Dylan Bundy Wei-Yin Chen Scott Feldman Kevin Gausman Miguel Gonzalez Jason Hammel Tommy Hunter Jim Johnson Steve Johnson Brian Matusz T.J. McFarland Bud Norris Darren O'Day Troy Patton Francisco Rodriguez Josh Stinson Chris Tillman Tsuyoshi Wada Catchers Steve Clevenger Chris Snyder Matt Wieters Infielders Alexi Casilla Chris Davis Ryan Flaherty J.J. Hardy Brian Roberts Jonathan Schoop Danny Valencia Outfielders Adam Jones Nick Markakis Nate McLouth Michael Morse Steve Pearce Jason Pridie Henry Urrutia