The Orioles’ pitching competition just got more crowded.
The team signed right-hander Julio Teheran to a minor league contract with an invite to MLB spring training Wednesday.
The deal with Teheran, a two-time All-Star with the Atlanta Braves in 2014 and 2016, is worth $2 million if he breaks camp with the Orioles and includes a $100,000 signing bonus and an opt-out clause, a source with direct knowledge of the deal said. The New York Post was first to report the agreement.
Teheran, 33, becomes one of the most experienced and accomplished players in the Orioles’ spring training clubhouse. His 20.6 career wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference, since debuting with Atlanta at 20 years old in 2011 are more than any player on Baltimore’s 40-man roster. The only player at camp with a better career WAR is second baseman Kolten Wong (22.1), an 11-year veteran the club also signed to a minor league deal Wednesday. However, Teheran is considered far past his prime, recording a 5.92 ERA in 108 innings over the past four years.
After struggling in 2020, barely pitching in the majors in 2021 and not appearing in 2022, Teheran revived his career last season with the Milwaukee Brewers. With diminished velocity but pinpoint command, he posted a 4.40 ERA in 14 appearances with the Brewers, spending part of the season in the same rotation as new Orioles ace Corbin Burnes.
It’s unclear where Teheran fits in the Orioles’ plans, but he could slot in as a candidate for the starting rotation as Kyle Bradish and John Means are expected to begin the season on the injured list. Bradish has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, while Means is a month behind as he recovered from his late-season elbow flare-up.
Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin have inside tracks to the rotation spots temporarily left open by Bradish and Means, and Teheran’s addition provides depth and further insurance if another Orioles starter goes on the shelf.
Teheran could also be a long-relief candidate as the final three spots in Baltimore’s bullpen remain unclaimed. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann is also an option for the starting rotation and long relief in the bullpen. Pitching prospects Chayce McDermott, Cade Povich and Justin Armbruester are in big league camp and ended last season at Triple-A, but manager Brandon Hyde and general manager Mike Elias have suggested they will likely start the year with Norfolk.
When Elias revealed Bradish’s injury and Means’ delayed timeline, he said he was “still looking” for pitching help, although he added he didn’t “want to go crazy ringing the alarm bells.”
Rather than bring in the top starting pitchers still on the market, including left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, or clear back-end rotation candidates such as right-hander Michael Lorenzen, Elias, for now, is adding depth through a low-risk veteran.
“You want to have as much pitching depth as you can,” Elias said earlier this month.