Teherán joins the O’s, Stowers battles for his spot, Mateo tries the outfield, and more!
Good morning, Birdland!
There has been speculation ever since the injury news about Kyle Bradish and John Means dropped that the Orioles may make a move to improve their starting depth. That happened on a small scale Tuesday as the team agreed to a minor league deal with right-handed pitcher Julio Teherán.
Teherán has some name recognition because he was quite good for the Braves early in his career. He made two all-star teams (2014, 2016) and seemed likely to be a steady rotation member for years to come.
Unfortunately for him, his control waned near the end of his time in Atlanta. He moved on to Anaheim in 2020 and was a disaster (10.05 ERA in 10 games), pitched once for Detroit in 2021, and was out of affiliated ball in 2022.
Teherán was able to latch on with the Brewers last year, and honestly did well stepping right into a starter role. Over 14 games he threw 71.2 innings, struck out 50, and had a 4.40 ERA. The numbers aren’t eye-popping. You pair that with less than ideal velocity and you can see why he wasn’t on a roster just yet.
However, Teherán was elite at limiting walks. And it’s impressive that saw the modest success that he did after being out of affiliated ball for an entire season.
It would seem he is competing with the likes of Bruce Zimmermann or Keegan Akin to be the long man in the bullpen early on. The Orioles know what they have in those two, and it isn’t terribly inspiring. Or perhaps the O’s intend to stash Teherán in Norfolk as an insurance policy should they need someone with big league starting experience.
All in, this move doesn’t mean much. But the fact that the Orioles did this and have not signed someone like a Michael Lorenzen could indicate how they feel about the progress of Bradish and Means, or the prospect of Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin starting significant innings. If all you do is sign a veteran to a minor league deal then you likely aren’t panicking too much about your rotation at the moment. Right?
Links
Orioles, Julio Teheran Agree To Minor League Deal | MLB Trade Rumors
More info on the signing, which is entirely unexciting, but also completely logical.
Orioles’ Jorge Mateo takes up center field in bid to ‘stay on the field’ | The Baltimore Sun
The idea of a super utility player capable of doing everything is great. But apart from a guy like Ben Zobrist years ago it rarely pans out. Mateo may have the right blend of athleticisim to make it work.
Santander’s journey from Rule 5 pick leads him to threshold of free agency | Roch Kubatko
Anthony Santander has been around the league a long time, and he still feels underrated. Maybe that changes this year as the Orioles are viewed as legitimate contenders and he is set to hit free agency after the season.
Stowers working to reverse under-the-radar status on O’s | MLB.com
If Kyle Stowers could play centerfield he would be a no doubter for the Opening Day roster. Instead he has to fight against a TON of other outfielders. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible he makes the team. After all, he managed to do it last year, but that feels like a long time ago.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Mike Milchin turns 56. The southpaw appeared in 13 games for the Orioles in 1996.
- Dallas Williams celebrates his 66th. His O’s stint was just two games back in 1981.
- The late Dick Kokos (b. 1928, d. 1986) was born on this day. He played in 11 games for the very first Orioles team in 1954.
This day in O’s history
2023 – A spring training oddity occurs as the Orioles and Pirates play a meaningless bottom of the ninth. The home team Pirates retire the Orioles in the top of the ninth and officially win the game 7-4. But both teams agree to play the rest of the inning anyway to give their players game action. O’s minor league catcher Maverick Handley calls balls and strikes and pitcher Ofreidy Gomez gets in an inning work.