Six days after Ty Wigginton was first in Baltimore to take a physical, the Orioles finalized a two-year, $6 million deal with the infielder yesterday.
Wigginton, 31, batted .285 with 23 home runs for the Houston Astros last season, and he has hit 22 or more homers while batting .275 or higher in each of the past three seasons.
After agreeing to terms with the Orioles last week, Wigginton came into town to take a physical Thursday. He eventually returned to Baltimore on Monday to have further tests performed.
Apparently, both sides were satisfied with the results.
"I felt all along that everything was going to work out," Wigginton said. "My body feels great. I feel great. It was just a little glitch and it's taken care of."
Team officials also declined to comment on what caused the announcement of his signing to be delayed. However, the Orioles are not concerned that it will affect Wigginton's playing status.
The right-handed hitter is expected to play third base, second base and first base and be used at designated hitter.
To make room for Wigginton on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated infielder Scott Moore for assignment. Moore, 25, made the Opening Day roster last year but appeared in just four games before being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. He hit .247 in 78 games for the Tides.
Rangers: : Texas finalized minor league contracts with outfielder Andruw Jones and reliever Brendan Donnelly.
An All-Star with the Anaheim Angels in 2003, Donnelly, 37, was one of 80-plus players named in the Mitchell Report on doping in baseball in December 2007. Donnelly denied the allegations.
The deal with Jones was disclosed Sunday. He was released by the Dodgers last month, halfway through a two-year, $36.2 million contract.
Rays: : All-Star catcher Dioner Navarro lost to Tampa Bay in salary arbitration and will receive the club's $2.1 million offer rather than his $2.5 million request.
Navarro was eligible for arbitration for the first time after hitting a team-high .295 with seven homers and 54 RBIs last year, when he was selected to his first All-Star Game. He made $432,500.
Tampa Bay reached the World Series for the first time, losing to Philadelphia. Navarro batted .353 (6-for-17) with no RBIs the five-game series.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.