masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgSARASOTA, Fla. – With Orioles pitchers and catchers officially reporting to spring training this morning, the clubhouse will open to the media for an hour beginning at 8 a.m.

The report dates aren’t as significant these days with so many players showing up early. It’s not like in the past when I’d stand inside an empty clubhouse waiting for guys to start trickling in, only to find out later that many of them posted at night or just phoned a team official to confirm their arrival.

The…SARASOTA, Fla. – With Orioles pitchers and catchers officially reporting to spring training this morning, the clubhouse will open to the media for an hour beginning at 8 a.m.

The report dates aren’t as significant these days with so many players showing up early. It’s not like in the past when I’d stand inside an empty clubhouse waiting for guys to start trickling in, only to find out later that many of them posted at night or just phoned a team official to confirm their arrival.

The Orioles still haven’t announced the signing of infielder Jayson Nix to a minor league deal with a spring training invite and they won’t confirm an agreement with shortstop Everth Cabrera on a one-year deal until it’s done. It may not be completed before the weekend, according to a source.

Manager Buck Showalter sidestepped the topic yesterday while meeting with a few reporters in the media workroom. He just spoke about the Orioles’ willingness to take chances on players who bring baggage.

Cabrera Padres Fielding Sidebar.jpg“This guy needs a place and that’s one thing, we do have a reputation as a place…” Showalter said.

Cabrera has another year of arbitration eligibility remaining after the 2015 season, so it’s not exactly a replica of the Nelson Cruz signing last spring. Cabrera can’t use his one-year deal with the Orioles as a platform for a bigger payday on the free agent market.

Cabrera’s arrival would be a major blow to Paul Janish’s chances of making the club as a non-roster invitee. Janish is regarded as a plus-defender at shortstop, but it’s also Cabrera’s natural position and he could slide over from second to back up J.J. Hardy.

The question remains whether Cabrera would take the spot belonging to second baseman Jonathan Schoop or utility infielder Ryan Flaherty.

No matter what happens, Janish probably shouldn’t be allowed near a mound again. He made two emergency relief appearances for the Reds in 2009 and allowed 11 runs and nine hits – including two home runs – in two innings.

He’s able to laugh about it now.

“That was one of those deals where we were in a bad spot with the bullpen and we were getting shellacked a couple of games,” Janish said earlier this week on the “Hot Stove Show” on 105.7 The Fan. “It’s one of those things everybody jokes about throughout the year about who’s going to be the guy who gets called upon, and when you’re joking about it, you kind of argue for being the guy because you want to do it. Then when it happens, it’s not as cool as what you thought.

“There’s a reason those guys get paid a lot of money to get outs at the end of the game. It’s definitely a good story, but I’ll be fine if that ends up being the last time that I pitch.

“Those guys swinging the bats are in the big leagues not by accident. It’s one of those things where more bad than good is going to come from that.”

Janish remembers first baseman Chris Davis throwing two scoreless frames and earning the win in a May 6, 2012 game at Fenway Park that lasted 17 innings.

“I think everybody was ready to go home that night,” Janish said, “which he had going for him.”

jimenez-walk-off-mound-close-gray-sidebar.jpgI asked Showalter about pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez’s decision to return home while the Orioles were being swept by the Royals in the American League Championship Series. Jimenez left the team after being left off the roster.

“I understand the disappointment,” Showalter said. “His family lived with him and I think he was getting them back to the Dominican. In a perfect world… you know? We took him in the first round and he might have been back for the next round, but I understand his disappointment. Everybody handles it differently.

“Some people just don’t want to be around something they wanted to be a part of. Is that selfish? That’s open to interpretation. I’m sure there are some guys who have some thoughts on it, but I don’t think they’ll share it. They’ve kind of moved on.”

Going back to what I wrote yesterday about free agent reliever Dustin McGowan, it sounds as though he’s seeking a two-year deal and the Orioles aren’t interested in giving it to him. There’s also the issue of creating room in an extremely crowded bullpen.

It doesn’t appear as though any other moves are on the horizon beyond the Cabrera signing, but again, things can change quickly around here.