Quiroz, 27, would have an inside track, having been Ramon Hernandez's backup in Baltimore in 2008. But he batted only .187 in 56 games and was designated for assignment at season's end before being re-signed to a minor league deal.

Hammock, 31, provides some unique versatility -- he also has played first, third and the outfield. However, he has played in only 53 big-league games over the last three seasons, including 18 with Arizona last season. In 180 career games over five seasons, he has a .255 average with 12 home runs.

Moeller, 34, has the most experience, having spent parts of nine seasons in the majors, including 41 games with the Yankees in 2008. He's a .228 career hitter.

None of those three options is on the 40-man roster -- unlike Wieters and Zaun -- meaning another player will have to be exposed to waivers to fit a backup catcher onto the big-league roster.

All Wieters has done is bat .440 through 11 games, the highest on the club of any player with 10 games to his stat line. But the Orioles are set on sending him to Class AAA Norfolk to start the season.

The team's first pick in the 2007 draft has only 437 professional at-bats, none of them above Class AA. Despite batting .355 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI between Class A and Class AA, Wieters will see a few more bus trips as the Orioles plan to curtail his service time and save one year of control before he potentially reaches free agency.