On Friday, the Orioles' general manager, Mike Elias, said he was still "looking to improve the team" in the final days before spring training. At the time, it seemed that any potential reinforcement could be a pitcher. However, Elias proved not to stop bolstering the fielders.

On Tuesday, the Orioles announced a one-year contract with outfielder Ramón Laureano. According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsund, the contract is worth $4 million for the 2025 season, according to sources. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman added that the contract also includes a $6.5 million team option for 2026.

The 30-year-old Laureano is a right-handed hitter with seven years of experience in the major leagues. He played for the Cleveland Guardians and Atlanta Warriors in the 2024 season, hitting .259/.311/.437 batting triples in 98 games, contributing 16 second-run hits, 11 home runs and 33 RBIs.

The Outfield for the Orioles suddenly became a little crowded, as they had previously signed Dylan Carlson, who had left and right shooters, to a one-year, $975,000 contract on Jan. 27. Laureano and Carlsen are among seven outfielders on the Orioles' 40-man roster.

Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Tyler O'Neill (signed a three-year, $49.5 million contract in December) have locked up the opener. Heston Kjerstad also has a good chance of making the roster, while Daz Cameron serves as a deep reserve in the 40-man roster.

Laureano's major league juniors came early in his career when he played for the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics acquired him from the Astros in November 2017 in a trade. Laureano was a 2014 Astros-16 draft pick when Elias was serving as the Astros' scouting director.

Immediately upon entering the major leagues in 2018, Laureano made a name for himself with the Athletics, contributing 2.2 bWAR (Baseball-Reference Victory Contribution Points) in 48 games, including five home runs and 0.832 OPS. He made further breakthroughs in 2019, setting career-best bWARs (3.5), second base hits (29), home runs (24), bits (67), OPS (0.861) and appearances (123).

Laureano has a batting percentage of 0.247 and an OPS of 0.749 in 610 career games. He has 11 playoff games (nine with the Athletics from 2018 to 2020 and two with the Warriors in 2024) and is capable of playing all three outfield positions.

One of Laureano's most prominent traits was his arm strength, which earned him the nickname "Laser Ramón" early in his major league career. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the top 89% of the league in arm strength last year, and has been ranked in the top 80% or higher every season since Statcast began tracking that data in 2020.

With Anthony Santander leaving through the free agent market and signing the Blue Jays to a five-year, $92.5 million contract, the Orioles need to add right-hand power this winter. They achieved that by signing O'Neal, Laureano and Magnusson, although it's hard to imagine all three of them making the opening roster.

However, the Orioles may not stop adjusting their lineup. They continue to have plenty of field depth, which will be very valuable if the team is looking to acquire pitchers on the trade market. Considering that the free agent market has shrunk significantly, a trade remains the most likely way for them to acquire a frontline starting pitcher.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see what actions the Orioles will take in the coming days. The pitchers and catchers will report to Sarasota, Florida, Feb. 12 for spring training, with the first full-strength training scheduled for Feb. 18.