O's sign Paul, three others to Minor League deals
Marrero, Castillo, De Jesus also join club; all four invited to Spring Training
The Orioles signed first baseman Chris Marrero, outfielder Xavier Paul, right-hander Fabio Castillo, and infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr. to Minor League contracts on Thursday, and all have received invites to Spring Training.
Marrero, 25, was a 2006 first-round round Draft pick of the Nationals. He hit a career-best .300/.375/.449 in 2011 with Triple-A Syracuse.
Paul, 28, was non-tendered by the Reds after a 2013 season that saw him hit .244 with seven home runs in 239 at-bats. He is a career .254 hitter with 12 home runs and 71 RBIs in 673 career at-bats while playing in parts of five Major League seasons with the Dodgers, Pirates and Reds.
Castillo, 24, posted a 3.34 ERA and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 14 games with Double-A Richmond in 2013, also making 23 appearances for Triple-A Fresno in the Giants organization.
De Jesus, 26, is a career .300/.371/.396 hitter in nine Minor League seasons with the Dodgers, Red Sox and Pirates organizations.