Two former Orioles sign minor league deals

Former Orioles outfielder Chris Dickerson and catcher Taylor Teagarden are no longer on the free agent market. Dickerson signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Teagarden signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Both players will receive invitations to spring training. Dickerson batted .238/.266/.400 with five doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs in 56 games with the Orioles last season after they signed him in January. They had no interest in bringing him back and have acquired left-handed hitting outfielders David Lough, Quintin Berry, Julio Borbon and Xavier Paul during the offseason. Lough is expected to get most of the starts in left field this year as Nate McLouth's replacement. Dickerson came through with one of the most dramatic hits for the Orioles in 2013, a three-run walk-off homer against Tigers closer Jose Valverde on May 31. It was Dickerson's first career walk-off homer at any level. Dickerson was among the Orioles' final cuts in spring training. Teagarden, a favorite of manager Buck Showalter, was 10-for-60 with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs in 23 games this season. In two seasons in Baltimore, Teagarden batted .162/.203/.308 in 45 games and had trouble staying healthy. He did, however, deliver some clutch hits in 2012. The Orioles acquired Teagarden from the Texas Rangers on Dec. 1, 2011 for infielder Greg Miclat and pitcher Randy Henry. Henry, 23, was 2-0 with a 1.07 ERA in 31 relief appearances with Double-A Frisco last season, with 32 hits, seven walks and 40 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. The Orioles currently have four catchers on their 40-man roster: Matt Wieters, Steve Clevenger, Johnny Monell and Michael Ohlman. They also acquired David Freitas from the Oakland Athletics as the PTBN in the Jim Johnson-Jemile Weeks trade. Clevenger, a Baltimore native, is the current favorite to back up Wieters this season.