Weekly Wrap: Major minor league depth

Once again, the Orioles made national headlines this week, signing Johan Santana to a minor league deal. A seasoned veteran, Santana can bring much experience if healthy, and he is targeting June 1 as a possible date to be ready to help out the Orioles. The left-hander joins a system that is filled with talent, including many young players who are being noticed around the league. The other day, I was talking with someone about the Orioles, and one of the topics of conversation was how much major league and up-and-coming talent there is throughout the O's system. This talent includes Hunter Harvey, Jonathan Schoop and Brock Huntzinger. Our theory was confirmed this week, as Baseball Prospectus recently ranked the O's first among AL teams in its 25-and-under talent rankings. With spring training games well under way, there's been a lot of news out of Sarasota, Fla., this week. Be sure to check out the headlines below to see if you missed any news from this week. Before I leave you with headlines, I just wanted to say a few words about Orioles PR director Monica Pence Barlow, who passed away last week. While I had limited interactions with her, I have been inspired by her strength and by the impact she had not just on the Orioles, but on the game of baseball. I find it remarkable just how many people's lives she touched. As a young professional in the field, I can say that she's an inspiration to me, and I know that she was to so many others. RIP. * Ranking the AL East position players * Lough likes the idea of leading off * Injury updates and more * Matusz and Alderson: Rivals, teammates, friends * Orioles re-sign Chris Jones * Brian Roberts: "I'm just trying to move on"