jair jurrjens

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said that the team was ¿more comfortable¿ signing right-hander Jair Jurrjens to a minor league deal than a major league one after closely vetting the results of a physical on his right knee.

Orioles right-hander Jair Jurrjens, signed to a minor-league contract Friday evening, joined spring training camp this morning for the team¿s first full squad workout of the spring.

Three weeks after the right-hander reportedly agreed to a major-league deal with the Orioles, the club announced they¿ve instead signed Jurrjens to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training.

Orioles reliever Luis Ayala, who is listed on Mexico¿s provisional roster for next month's World Baseball Classic, said Thursday that he has yet to decide whether he will pitch in the event.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter made it clear Tuesday that top pitching prospects Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman are part of the club's major league plans for late 2013.

Now that former Orioles left-hander Joe Saunders has reportedly agreed to terms with the Mariners on a one-year deal, we know the group that¿s going to open camp with the team in Sarasota next week, minus maybe a minor-league signing here or there.

A lengthy physical for Jair Jurrjens is not suprising, especially with the Orioles.

Right-hander Jair Jurrjens still is not officially signed by the Orioles after finishing his physical on Monday, but he said it is "getting close."

Orioles manager Buck Showalter leaves for spring training in Sarasota, Fla. today, a week before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12. Expect everything to be set up exactly to Showalter's liking by that date. He ignores no detail, especially when it comes to the team's spring training set up.

The Orioles have worked out lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes and infielder-outfielder Fernando Tatis this week to see if they have anything left in the tank.

Jair Jurrjens said late last week that he didn't expect he'd have his physical in Baltimore until at least mid-week.

Jair Jurrjens, who was a National League All-Star just two summers ago, is Duquette¿s latest undervalued asset. And now with just more than two weeks before spring training, we take a look at other low-risk, high-reward additions and ask which one could be Duquette¿s ¿Get of the Year.¿

When right-hander Jair Jurrjens is in Baltimore to take a physical next week ¿ seemingly the final step before the Orioles¿ one-year major-league deal with the former Atlanta Braves pitcher comes to fruition ¿ he expects to speak with team officials about whether he will participate in the World Baseball Classic this spring.

Jair Jurrjens is eager to jump into a crowded Orioles rotation competition come spring training. The former Atlanta Braves right-hander -- who agreed to terms with the Orioles on a one-year deal this week -- said he feels healthy for the first time in years.

One of the intriguing aspects to the Orioles¿ signing of free agent right-hander Jair Jurrjens, which was reported Thursday night, is that he has a minor league option remaining.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with free agent right-hander Jair Jurrjens on a one-year deal, according to a report from CBSSports.com.

You'll hear a lot of names this week. You may hear about the Baltimore Orioles' revived interest in Josh Hamilton. Don't believe it.

Baseball's winter meetings begin in earnest Monday and this was supposed to be the year that a lot of the impact signings were made before the sport's annual powwow.

On Monday, Dickey, arguably the most difficult pitcher to hit in the big-leagues right now, made that advice come back to haunt Showalter in a 5-0 New York Mets win.

Orioles Insider: There¿s been a whole lot of speculation on what the Orioles are going to do with Adam Jones this offseason.

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Minnesota Twins biggest concern is their defense, especially on the left side of the infield

Long a solid center fielder and one of baseball's best baserunners, Curtis Granderson has turned into a beast at the plate since working with New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long to rework his swing.