It was a sneaky big move, and it came out of pretty much nowhere. When the Orioles claimed Hector Velazquez off waivers from the Red Sox, it generated some ripples across the league — this was someone who played a decent part on a World Series winner, after all — and brought up the question of just what role he’d fill with Baltimore.
A tweet by Roch Kubatko dealt a blow to any mounting intrigue. Kubatko said Velazquez will be a long reliever in Baltimore, and will not be a candidate — at least, not early on — for the rotation.