The Orioles have agreed to terms with infielder Matt Antonelli, a former first-round pick of the San Diego Padres' who played with Syracuse, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in 2011.
Antonelli, 26, can play second base and third base and will join the 40-man roster if he passes his physical. He'll likely compete for a big league job this spring.
The 17th overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Wake Forest, Antonelli has played just 21 games as a big leaguer, hitting .193 in 57 at-bats for the Padres in 2008.
The right-handed batter hit .297 with eight homers and 30 RBIs in 300 at-bats with Syracuse last season. Antonelli is a product of Peabody, Mass., where Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette first became familiar with him.