BREAKING: Orioles Signed Another League Deal With Top Player
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, right-hander Julio Teheran and the Orioles have reached an agreement. According to Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner, it will be a minor league agreement.
Over the weekend, Teheran, a client of Mato Sports Management, chose to opt out of a minor league contract with the Cubs. He inked a minor league contract with the Orioles back in spring training, and this is his second deal of the season with them. After learning he wouldn’t be included on the Opening Day roster, Teheran chose to back out of that agreement. After that, he signed with the Mets, for whom he made one start before being cut, and then he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs more recently.
At the close of camp, the O’s obviously didn’t think they had a place for Teheran, but the math has since changed. Pitchers John Means (left) and Tyler Wells (right) will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair UCL rips in their elbows. Due to a triceps strain, right-hander Dean Kremer is also absent at the moment. Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish (who healed his own UCL sprain without surgery), Grayson Rodriguez, Cole Irvin, and journeyman Albert Suarez make up Baltimore’s current five-man rotation.
Julio Teheran to Orioles, a contender that needed a starter
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 4, 2024
After giving up four runs in two and a third innings in his lone Mets start, the 33-year-old Teheran was sent down to Iowa’s Triple-A team by the Cubs to finish the regular season. However, things haven’t gotten any better there. The veteran Braves pitcher has faced a ton of runs in 32 2/3 innings (an 8.82 earned run average) over his eight outings in Des Moines. He has given up 48 hits, including eight home runs, and 37 strikeouts while walking 11 batters.
The O’s may be encouraged despite Teheran’s unimpressive ERA because of his 23.1% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate, which are both significantly better than his awful ERA. Undoubtedly, the right-hander’s inflated.400 average on balls in play hasn’t helped his cause. More generally, Teheran’s raw stuff is obviously something the Orioles want. The Orioles probably believe they have some changes or modifications that can assist the well-traveled right-hander improve on that minor league production because he has now signed with them twice this season.
It should be mentioned that Teheran had a strong 2023 season with the Brewers just a few months ago. He pitched for Milwaukee last year, giving up a decent 4.40 ERA in 71 2/3 innings. While Teheran’s 4.5% walk rate was outstanding, his 17.4% strikeout percentage was just almost three-quarters of what the league average was. Examining things even more broadly, Teheran has a 3.85 ERA in around 1500 big league innings, yet the majority of his success was achieved in his early to mid-20s while playing for the Braves in the 2010s. He will provide some seasoned depth for the O’s to rely on in the event of more injuries for the time being.