BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 08: Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias talks on the phone before the start of the Orioles and New York Yankees game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 08, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Baltimore Orioles News: Recently Released Veteran Signs with O’s
The youthful Baltimore Orioles signed veteran second baseman-left fielder Tony Kemp to a major league contract reportedly worth $1 million one week after he was released from a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds, according to The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer.
Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters on Friday that he would remain “nimble” when it came to adding to the roster in the days between spring training’s end and Opening Day. Per Meyer, a source with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed that Kemp does not have a minor league option, making it likely that he is on the Opening Day roster.
The 32-year-old has played in parts of eight major league seasons at several positions, mainly second base and left field. He spent the last three seasons in Oakland with a struggling Athletics club, where he had an OPS of .800 in 2021 before dropping down to .601 last season.
Signing Kemp is an interesting move for a team that had veteran Kolten Wong and the league’s top prospect Jackson Holliday in camp. All three second basemen are left-handed batters, but the Orioles are opting to go with Kemp.
The Orioles designated utilityman Nick Maton for assignment to accommodate Kemp on their 40-man roster. Maton wasn’t expected to make the team after going 0-for-23 this spring, but the move had to be made for Kemp to be available immediately.
A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Kemp appeared in eight Cactus League games with the Reds this spring after signing as a minor league free agent with an invite to big league camp. He slashed .333/.391/.619 (7-for-21) with one double, one triple, one homer, two runs scored, five RBI, and two walks.
