BALTIMORE -- A former division-winning skipper with a decade of big league managerial experience is nearing a return to the dugout, via the Orioles. The team this week moved closer to a deal to add Fredi González, who managed the Marlins from 2007-10 and Braves from '11-16, to its Major League staff, according to multiple sources.

The Orioles have not confirmed the hire. They plan to announce their entire coaching staff at once, likely later this month.

González, 55, guided the Marlins to winning seasons in 2008 and ’09 before replacing Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox in Atlanta in '11. González steered the Braves to playoff appearances in two of the next three seasons, and the '13 team won the National League East title. He was let go after the Braves followed a fourth-place finish in '15 with a 9-28 start the following season.

González, who owns a career managerial record of 710-692, most recently served as the Marlins third-base coach from 2017-19. He had 276 wins with Miami, which is tied with current skipper Don Mattingly for the franchise’s second-most.

Miami is also where González first crossed paths with O's current manager Brandon Hyde. Hyde, who managed in the Marlins’ system from 2005-09, was elevated to the big league staff as bench coach for interim manager Edwin Rodriguez when González was fired in June 2010. The stretch marked Hyde’s first MLB job; he remained on staff until leaving for the Cubs in '13.

In Baltimore, González will work under the general title of Major League coach. Jose Hernandez will slide into the role of assistant hitting coach, replacing Howie Clark, one of three coaches the Orioles did not retain following the 2019 season. They replaced first-base/outfield coach Arnie Beyeler with Anthony Sanders in November, but still must find a replacement for bullpen coach John Wasdin.

A former catcher, González figures to share some catching-instruction duties with field/catching coordinator Tim Cossins, who functions as Hyde’s bench coach, as well as assist in other areas. Also returning to Hyde’s staff are hitting coach Don Long, pitching coach Doug Brocail and third-base/infield coach José David Flores. Though not in uniform, recently promoted Chris Holt will also have increased responsibilities on the big league side as the club’s new director of pitching.

Minor League move
Even before the Orioles traded Jonathan Villar to the Marlins on Monday, they knew their need for middle-infield depth this winter was paramount. They took a step toward adding to it this week by inking second baseman Dilson Herrera to a Minor League contract.

A former Mets top prospect who reached the Majors as a 20-year-old in 2014, Herrera has spent much of the past six seasons in the Minors, including all of 2019 with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. He hit .248 with 24 home runs and a .501 slugging percentage in 117 games with Syracuse, posting career-best power numbers in his age-25 season.

Herrera has shown but flashes of that ability in the Majors. He hit just .215 with a .690 OPS over 49 games with the Mets in 2014 and ’15 before New York shipped him to Cincinnati as the main return for Jay Bruce in '16. Herrera hit .184 in 53 games for the Reds in '18, and he then returned to the Mets' organization the following year.

In Baltimore, Herrera figures to compete for a bench role with Richie Martin, Pat Valaika and others come Spring Training, assuming the Orioles add a more established infielder to the mix before then. As it stands now, Martin, Valaika and Hanser Alberto are the lone middle infielders, with José Rondón profiling as additional depth at Triple-A.