Orioles sign Ishikawa, Schlereth, and Braddock to minor-league deals

The Orioles have announced that they signed 1B Travis Ishikawa, LHP Daniel Schlereth, and LHP Zach Braddock to minor-league contracts with an invite to Spring Training.

Ishikawa is 29 year old lefty who was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 21st round of the 2002 draft. He spent parts of four seasons with the Giants with middling numbers, and spent 2012 in the Milwaukee Brewers system, where in 174 plate appearances he batted.257/.329/.428. In over 3000 plate appearances in the minors, Ishikawa batted .260/.355/.449. It's possible that he'll never be more than a minor leaguer, but he provides good depth at a position where the Orioles need it. It's also worth noting that when Andrew_G participated in the sim winter meetings he also signed Ishikawa.

Schlereth, 27, is a former first-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and has pitched in relief in 94 big league games with an ERA+ of 94. He spent the last three years in the Tigers' system, where he walked everyone in sight.

Braddock, 25, was drafted by the Brewers in the 18th round of the 2005 draft, and saw playing time with them in both 2010 and 2011. He's a strikeout pitcher, who notched a 12 K/9 in the minors and 10.4 per nine in the majors, but he also walks a ton of guys.

All three guys provide depth to the O's system, which is what Dan Duquette is all about. We could see any of them in an O's uniform during the season and it wouldn't surprise me. All deals come with a complimentary ST invite.