Baltimore Orioles: Three Players Elect Free Agency

Catching up on a few Baltimore Orioles roster moves since the end of the regular season, three players have elected free agency.

While the Baltimore Orioles aren’t expected to be major players when it comes to any big name free agents this offseason, there is sure to be a high volume of moves made concerning the current roster, from the minor league affiliates to the major league roster.

The first major group of decisions will revolve around the Rule 5 draft and who on the current 40-man roster gets the axe, but those decisions won’t have to be made for a few more weeks. Much of the early roster movement is likely to revolve around cleanup of the minor league rosters now that Mike Elias and his staff have a full season of evaluations under their belt.

Since the end of the regular season, three such players have already elected free agency, including catcher Jesus Sucre, infielder Jace Peterson, and pitcher Sean Gilmartin. All three saw limited action in the major leagues last season, spending the majority of their time in Triple-A Norfolk.

You can check out the full list of recent free agent declarations from across the league over at MLB Trade Rumors here.

Sucre began the season on the major league roster, even making the Opening Day start behind the plate in New York, but appeared in just 20 games before he was designated for assignment and accepted a move to Triple-A. Sucre slashed .210/.269/.242 with two doubles and three RBI during his short stint in Baltimore.

Gilmartin, a 29-year-old left-handed reliever, made just one appearance for the Orioles. It was all the organization needed to see from him. Gilmartin gave up five earned runs on seven hits (two home runs) and two walks in 2.1 innings.

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With Triple-A Norfolk, Gilmartin made 32 appearances, posting a 3.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a .222 average against. Lefties hit .250 against him, while right-handed hitters were held to a .208 clip.

The one semi-surprising move is Jace Peterson. Peterson had an opt-out during the regular season and took it to test the market, but no other organization came calling. Days later, Peterson re-signed with the Orioles and appeared in 29 games at the big league level. He’s now electing to attempt this free agency thing again.

After hitting .313 with a .398 OBP and 40 extra-base hits in 90 games down in Triple-A, Peterson slashed .220/.269/.330 with two home runs and 11 RBI with the Orioles.