Orioles sign infielder Pedro Alvarez to one-year contract

By Bobby Blanco

Orioles

March 10, 2016, 3:04am

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The Orioles today announced that they have signed infielder Pedro Alvarez to a one-year contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Orioles have released right-hander Andrew Triggs.

Alvarez, 29, hit .243/.318/.469 (106-for-437) with 18 doubles, 27 home runs, and 77 RBIs in 150 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015. The left-handed hitter slugged 24 home runs in 426 plate appearances last season against right-handed pitching. Since 2012, Alvarez ranks 11th among all major league hitters with 111 home runs. A National League All-Star in 2013, he tied for the National League lead with 36 home runs that season and won the Silver Slugger Award as a third baseman. In his six-year career, he has batted .236/.309/.441 with 108 doubles, six triples, 131 home runs, and 401 RBIs in 742 games. Alvarez was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University.

Triggs, 26, was acquired by the Orioles from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations on April 4, 2015. The right-hander owns a career minor league record of 11-9 with a 2.02 ERA (53 earned runs in 236 innings pitched) over four seasons while compiling 232 strikeouts and 50 saves.