Reliever Kittredge headed to Orioles on 1-year deal (source)
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BALTIMORE -- So far this offseason, the Orioles¡¯ additions to their pitching staff had all been starters, having previously inked Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano to one-year deals with plans to slot the right-handers into the rotation. But Baltimore¡¯s bullpen was in need of a boost as well.
It got one shortly after the clock struck midnight on Friday.
The O¡¯s are in agreement on a one-year contract with right-hander Andrew Kittredge that is worth a guaranteed $10 million, a source told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the deal, which includes a $9 million salary and a $9 million team option for the 2026 season (with a $1 million buyout).
Kittredge, 34, is coming off an impressive season for the Cardinals. He posted a 2.80 ERA over a career-high 74 appearances, tied for the ninth most among MLB pitchers. His 1.5 bWAR was the second-best of his career, behind only his 2021 All-Star campaign with the Rays (2.4 bWAR).
Before last year, Kittredge had spent the entirety of his big league career with Tampa Bay, pitching in 181 games (15 starts) from 2017-23. However, he was limited to 17 outings in ¡®22 and 14 in ¡®23 because he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022.
When healthy, Kittredge has been quite effective, as he owns a 2.47 ERA over 170 appearances since the beginning of the 2020 season. He relies heavily on a slider that he threw 49.4 percent of the time last season, with hitters batting .177 against the pitch and whiffing on 41.3 percent of swings. That led to an elite 38.9 percent chase rate overall that ranked in the 100th percentile of pitchers.
Since the end of last season, the Orioles¡¯ bullpen had lost two key members. Lefty Danny Coulombe¡¯s $4 million option for the 2025 season was declined in early November, then righty Jacob Webb was non-tendered later in the month.
Baltimore was lacking depth in its relief corps and was in pursuit of at least one additional high-leverage arm.
Kittredge should fit the bill, as he¡¯ll join a late-inning mix of relievers headlined by 2023 All-Star closer F¨¦lix Bautista, who will return after missing all of the ¡®24 season due to Tommy John surgery. The Orioles¡¯ primary setup men should be righties Yennier Cano (also a ¡®23 All-Star) and Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez, who pitched well after coming over from the Phillies ahead of last year¡¯s Trade Deadline.
If Kittredge pitches well again in 2025 -- and shows that he still has plenty more left in the tank -- then the O¡¯s could pick up his ¡®26 option at an affordable price. So it¡¯s a move that could pay dividends for not only this year, but the following season as well.
The Orioles have done a solid job of plugging the holes on their roster this offseason, signing outfielder Tyler O¡¯Neill to help offset the potential loss of Anthony Santander, bringing in Gary S¨¢nchez to be the new backup catcher, adding Morton and Sugano to a rotation that lost Corbin Burnes (signed with the D-backs) and now inserting Kittredge into the back end of the ¡®pen.
In total, Baltimore has spent a total of $96 million via its five free-agent signings.
Are the Orioles now done?
That remains to be seen. But they could still try to swing a bigger move for a frontline starter following the departure of Burnes. And it¡¯s possible that Kittredge won¡¯t be the final notable addition to the bullpen, which could always use an additional quality arm or two.