Orioles sign Alcides Escobar to minor-league deal

The Baltimore Orioles have signed shortstop Alcides Escobar to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, the team announced on Saturday, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic.

The deal will reportedly pay Escobar $700,000 at the major-league level if he makes the team out of camp, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Escobar, 32, had previously played eight seasons with the Kansas City Royals, memorably winning the ALCS MVP against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 2015 All-Star and Gold Glove winner authored a .259/.292/.344 slash line with 36 home runs and 160 stolen bases over his eight years in Kansas City.

"Alcides Escobar will add a great veteran option to the middle infield competition we have brought into this camp," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement obtained by Joe Trezza of MLB.com. "We are looking forward to having him join us here in Sarasota and enter the mix."

With the Orioles, Escobar joins a middle infield that includes a pair of Rule 5 draft selections in Richie Martin and Drew Jackson. Both are guaranteed spots on the 25-man roster in the event they make the club and are not returned to the team they were selected from.