Orioles' Jonathan Villar: Placed on waivers

Villar was placed on waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The Orioles had been trying unsuccessfully to trade Villar prior Monday's non-tender deadline. Releasing Villar would be an odd move after the infielder stole 40 bases and hit a career-high 24 homers while posting a .274/.339/453 slash line, but the Orioles evidently don't envision the 28-year-old being part of their future. He's projected to make over $10 million in arbitration, though that's presumably a price a contender would be willing to pay.