BALTIMORE (AP) — Free-agent outfielder Endy Chavez has agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

The move was announced Tuesday.

An experienced and dependable fill-in, Chavez batted .301 with five homers and 27 RBIs in 83 games for the AL champion Texas Rangers last season.

Dan Duquette, the Orioles’ new executive vice president of baseball operations, says Chavez is a “tremendous defender” who gives the team “needed depth” in the outfield. Chavez can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses.

A left-handed hitter with speed, the 33-year-old Chavez is a .274 career hitter in 10 major league seasons with Kansas City, Montreal/Washington, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Seattle and Texas. He is best known for his spectacular catch with the Mets in Game 7 of the 2006 NL championship series against St. Louis.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BALTIMORE — Free-agent outfielder Endy Chavez has agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

The move was announced Tuesday.

An experienced and dependable fill-in, Chavez batted .301 with five homers and 27 RBIs in 83 games for the AL champion Texas Rangers last season.

Dan Duquette, the Orioles’ new executive vice president of baseball operations, says Chavez is a “tremendous defender” who gives the team “needed depth” in the outfield. Chavez can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses.

A left-handed hitter with speed, the 33-year-old Chavez is a .274 career hitter in 10 major league seasons with Kansas City, Montreal/Washington, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Seattle and Texas. He is best known for his spectacular catch with the Mets in Game 7 of the 2006 NL championship series against St. Louis.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thursday, the Baltimore Orioles helped to secure a backup for catcher Matt Wieters(notes) when they worked out a deal with the Texas Rangers for Taylor Teagarden(notes). Baltimore sent minor league pitcher Randy Henry to Texas along with a player to be named.

Teagarden, who will be 28 near the end of December, has spent his four years in the majors with Texas. In 14 games during the 2011 season, Teagarden hit .235 in 34 at bats. Teagarden showed some potential during his first season in Texas back in 2008 when he hit .319 in 16 games with six home runs and 17 runs batted in. For his major league career, Teagarden has an average of .220 with 16 home runs and 49 runs batted in.

Teagarden will be backing up starter and Gold Glove winner Matt Wieters who is coming off a great 2011 season. Wieters hit 22 home runs with 68 runs batted in while hitting .262 for Baltimore.

Baltimore was looking to acquire a backup catcher with some pop. Craig Tatum(notes) was the backup to Wieters in 2011, and in 31 games, Tatum hit .195 with no home runs in 87 at bats.

Texas gets relief pitcher Henry who pitched well for the Frederick Keys and Delmarva Shorebirds in 2011. In 29 games last year, Henry posted a 2.22 ERA to go along with his 4-3 record. One note of interest about Henry is his control. In 52.2 innings pitched in 2011, Henry struck out 40 batters while only walking eight. The 21 year old Henry will turn 22 in early May, 2012.

Baltimore also announced that Pedro Viola(notes) was designated for assignment. Viola has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore but has only thrown five innings for the Orioles and has given up six earned runs while striking out seven and walking three.

The trade for Baltimore marks the first trade by Dan Duquette, the new VP of Baseball Operations for the Orioles. The move is yet another deal that has been done with the Rangers, as Baltimore and Texas have been swapping players since the trade deadline last season. During last July, Baltimore sent Koji Uehara(notes) to Texas in return for Tommy Hunter(notes) and Chris Davis(notes) before they sent Mike Gonzalez heading south for Pedro Strop(notes).

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REFS:

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers have traded catcher Taylor Teagarden to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league right-hander Randy Henry and a player to be named.

The teams announced the deal on Thursday.

Teagarden hit .235 in 14 games for Texas last season. He has played 118 games for the Rangers over the last four years and has thrown out nearly 31 percent of runners who have tried to steal. He turns 28 this month.

The Orioles like Teagarden’s ability behind the plate and see him as a solid backup for Matt Wieters.

The 21-year-old Henry was 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA in 29 relief appearances at Class A. The Orioles also designated lefty Pedro Viola for assignment.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have traded catcher Taylor Teagarden to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league right-hander Randy Henry and a player to be named.

The teams announced the deal on Thursday.

Teagarden hit .235 in 14 games for Texas last season. He has played 118 games for the Rangers over the last four years and has thrown out nearly 31 percent of runners who have tried to steal. He turns 28 this month.

The Orioles like Teagarden’s ability behind the plate and see him as a solid backup for Matt Wieters.

The 21-year-old Henry was 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA in 29 relief appearances at Class A. The Orioles also designated lefty Pedro Viola for assignment.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.