masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIt’s been a quiet day so far, except for the stampede of shoppers in a panic over the weather forecast.
The Orioles were on the verge of signing outfielder Nolan Reimold to a minor league deal last month on the final day of the Winter Meetings, but it didn’t get done and other teams joined the mix. I’ve heard that the Indians are the most aggressive suitor at the moment and may have moved past the Orioles.
The Indians want to sign Reimold to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring…

It’s been a quiet day so far, except for the stampede of shoppers in a panic over the weather forecast.

The Orioles were on the verge of signing outfielder Nolan Reimold to a minor league deal last month on the final day of the Winter Meetings, but it didn’t get done and other teams joined the mix. I’ve heard that the Indians are the most aggressive suitor at the moment and may have moved past the Orioles.

reimold-black-sidebar.jpgThe Indians want to sign Reimold to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training and have maintained a steady dialogue with agent Michael Zimmerman of ACES Inc. The Orioles, meanwhile, haven’t been in contact with Reimold for more than a month.

The White Sox, Giants and Phillies also expressed interest in Reimold this winter, but the Indians have been the most persistent team. Reimold’s decision apparently comes down to the Indians or Orioles.

Reimold, 31, batted a combined .232/.282/.435 with five doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 29 games with the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks in 2014.

Reimold went 11-for-52 with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and 22 strikeouts in 22 games with the Blue Jays, who claimed him off waivers from the Orioles in July, and 5-for-17 with a double, one home run, four RBIs and 10 strikeouts in seven games with the Diamondbacks.

The neck issues seem to be in the past after Reimold underwent corrective surgery to fuse two vertebrae. He’s been working out daily while hoping to secure a major league contract.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette is searching for a left-handed-hitting outfielder after re-signing Delmon Young, which works against Reimold.

Reimold played in only 40 games in 2013 due to a hamstring injury and the corrective procedure. He batted .313 with six doubles, five homers and 10 RBIs in 16 games in 2012 before suffering a herniated disk in his neck, an injury believed to be caused by his tumble into the seats at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

The Orioles selected Reimold in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of Bowling Green University. He’s a career .251/.324/.439 hitter in six major league seasons.