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It's no secret the Baltimore Orioles desperately need pitching, and could certainly use a lot of it at the big league level. To help fill the void while their young arms continue to develop in the minors, the club has signed Joel Pineiro to a minor-league deal and will be sending him to AAA Norfolk, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
Pineiro, 33, signed with the Phillies in January but was released just two months after. The veteran is coming off a two-year, $16 million deal with the Angels. He posted a 4.47 ERA across 298 innings with the Angels, with a 4.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. One thing Pineiro can do is keep the ball on the ground, but don't expect him to miss bats or overpower batters.
According to Connolly, Pineiro is expected to be the Orioles long reliever at the big league level in the near future. For now, though, he'll be sent to their Triple-A affiliate for extended spring training.