Orioles sign Nolan Reimold to minor league deal

Baltimore thought it had a deal in place with Nolan Reimold for two months. And according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports, the Orioles were able to reach an agreement with Reimold on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training on Tuesday.

Reimold, 31, posted a .232/.282/,435 batting line to complement three home runs and 13 RBIs in 29 games last season.

Although the club's front office was confident it had a deal done, the organization reportedly had not spoken to Reimold since December before recently reaching out to him to make their interest in him known. Baltimore was the only team interested in the veteran outfielder, as Cleveland was aggressively pursuing him and at one time was thought to be the favorite to add him. Kubatko also notes that Oakland was briefly interested but did not make an offer.

While he spent time with both the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays in 2014, Reimold wanted to remain on the East Coast and had interest in returning to Baltimore. Reimold did not agree on the deal until it included an opt-out clause, with Cleveland's proposal also including an opt-out. The Orioles removed Reimold from the 60-day disabled list and chose to designate him for assignment on July 1. Toronto subsequently claimed him off of waivers.

Reimold also had trouble staying healthy in 2013, suffering from a hamstring injury and neck procedure. He was out of minor league options, and as a result, the Orioles were forced to make a roster move after he completed his rehab assignment in Double-A last season. At that point, Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young, and Steve Pearce were the outfielders on the roster, and Baltimore did not have interest in adding another right-handed outfield option.

While the White Sox, Phillies, and Giants also had interest in Reimold this offseason, none of the interested teams offered him the major league deal he sought.