This, that and the other

Before the Orioles could sign pitcher Kohl Stewart and give him a shot at their rotation in 2020, he had to choose which sport to play after high school and attempt to make it a career.

Stewart was an Under Armour All-American quarterback in high school who earned a football scholarship to Texas A&M.

The Twins made him the fourth overall selection in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft and gave him a $4.5 million bonus.

Decision made.

"When I was an 18-year-old kid, it was a tough call just because I love those sports," he said. "Both opportunities obviously were super attractive, so I felt pretty lucky to be in the kind of situation that I was in. There are some guys in the past who have kind of been in similar situations. It's a tough choice. I tried to go with the one that I loved.

"I feel like I made the right call and I haven't really looked back."

* There may not be a lower under-the-radar signing than the Orioles' minor league deal with right-hander César Valdez, which happened earlier this month.

(Not to be confused with the Cuban-born second base umpire of the same name who tackled an anti-Fidel Castro protester in shallow center field at Camden Yards during the 1999 exhibition game against the Cuban national team.)

Valdez made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks in 2010 and didn't get back to the big stage until 2017 with the Athletics and Blue Jays. How many players have a gap of that size?

He's 2-3 with a 7.64 ERA and 1.796 WHIP in 20 games, including six starts, and also has been in the Pirates, Marlins and Astros organizations.

Pitching in Mexico last year, Valdez went 15-2 with a 2.26 ERA and 1.063 WHIP in 23 starts with Yucatan. He also returned to Licey in the Dominican Winter League and was 4-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 0.861 WHIP in seven games (six starts). He struck out 40 batters and walked only four.

Other winter gigs in the past have included stops in Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

The Orioles haven't released the names of their spring training invites, so we don't know whether Valdez will show up in Sarasota. But his ties to the Marlins and Astros organizations make him familiar to manager Brandon Hyde and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias.

Doesn't hurt to take a look, whether in major league or minor league camp.

* Former Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, an offer he had been weighing against an opportunity in television. Confirmation arrived yesterday morning.

He's a natural for broadcasting, whether in TV or radio, and eventually should transition, but he isn't quite ready to hang up the spikes.

I also think Joseph would make a terrific manager or coach if he decided to go that route. But first, he'll try to win a job with the Blue Jays and avoid an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo.

* Adley Rutschman is going to be included among the current Orioles catchers in spring training, as executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias hinted at during the Winter Meetings.

Some very strong hints.

It's been assumed that Rutschman would get an invite rather than just drop by a couple of times. A source offered confirmation after MLB.com reported it yesterday.

"I'm pretty confident saying that fans that come to spring training, especially the early part of spring training, will get a good look at him," Elias said in San Diego.

In other words, spring training invitation.

The Orioles want Rutschman to soak up the atmosphere. They want to take a look at him. They want fans to see him. And then he'll head over to Twin Lakes Park, probably in the first round of cuts, and prepare for the minor league season.

Rutschman could appear on some travel rosters or return to Sarasota later as an extra.

The 40-man roster includes catchers Pedro Severino, Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns. Bryan Holaday is getting a spring invite and the same should be true with Martin Cervenka. They're going to need the innings.

Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 11, with the first exhibition game on Feb. 22 against the Braves in North Port. The home opener is Feb. 23 versus the Red Sox.