The Orioles' negotiations with free-agent right-hander Bill Swift reached the serious stage yesterday. How serious? The Orioles had him in Baltimore for a physical examination, took him to lunch and gave him a tour of Camden Yards.
Swift and agent Craig Fenech visited with Orioles general manager Roland Hemond, assistant GM Frank Robinson and attorney Russell Smouse. Hemond would not say whether the Orioles made Swift an offer, but he did say the team remained interested in signing him after he completed his physical.
"We chatted with him and had a nice visit with him and his representative, Craig Fenech," Hemond said. "He got a look at the ballpark for the first time."
Swift was not available to comment.
The Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees also are pursuing Swift, a ground-ball pitcher who was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team.
Free-agent outfielder Jay Buhner of the Seattle Mariners is scheduled to undergo a physical Monday and Hemond said he plans to bring another pitcher, whom he declined to identify, in for an examination.
New Orioles manager Phil Regan was Swift's pitching coach when both were with Seattle. A 21-game winner for the San Francisco Giants in 1993, Swift went 8-7 with a 3.38 ERA for the Giants this past season.
The Orioles added five players to their 40-man roster yesterday, expanding it to 38 players.
Right-handers Jimmy Haynes, Billy Percibal and Brian Sackinsky, right-handed reliever Joe Borowski and outfielder Curtis Goodwin were added to the roster to protect them from being selected by another club in baseball's Rule V draft.
ORIOLES ROSTER
PITCHERS
Armando Benitez, Joe Borowski, Mark Eichhorn, Sid Fernandez, Jimmy Haynes, Scott Klingenbeck, Rick Krivda, Ben McDonald, Alan Mills, Jamie Moyer, Mike Mussina, John O'Donoghue, Mike Oquist, Brad Pennington, Billy Percibal, Jim Poole, Arthur Rhodes, Brian Sackinsky.
CATCHERS
E9 Cesar Devarez, Chris Hoiles, Jeff Tackett, Greg Zaun.
INFIELDERS
Manny Alexander, Paul Carey, Leo Gomez, Jeff Manto, Rafael Palmeiro, Cal Ripken.
OUTFIELDERS
Brady Anderson, Damon Buford, Curtis Goodwin, Jeffrey Hammonds, Sherman Obando, Alex Ochoa, Dwight Smith, Mark Smith, Jack Voigt, Jim Wawruck.