General manager Brian Cashman’s call to arms for the New York Yankees could lead him to Baltimore.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reports “Other teams say the Orioles are dangling left-hander John Means for trade. He’s set to make about $3 million in arbitration, coming off a season in which he pitched great in the 1st half (2.28 ERA) struggled in the 2nd half (4.88) and had shoulder issues.”
Means was 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA in 26 starts this season. The highlight came on May 5, when he threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners.
Means is two years removed from his breakout 2019 season, which saw him win 12 games, earn an All-Star bid and finish as runner-up in voting for American League Rookie of the Year.
The 28-year-old Means is under team control through 2024, according to Spotrac.
The Orioles might see interest peak in Means as the free agency market dries up.
On Monday, free-agent right-hander Anthony DeSclafani agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract with the San Francisco Giants and left-hander Aaron Loup agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
On top of that, left-hander Alex Wood is finalizing a two-year deal with the Giants.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports “San Francisco’s desire to jump the pitching market comes as a potential Dec. 2 lockout approaches and a finite amount of rotation-worthy pitching continues to come off the board. Those who have signed already include Justin Verlander, Noah Syndergaard, Eduardo Rodriguez and Andrew Heaney. The next week could see Cobb, left-hander Steven Matz, right-hander Jon Gray and right-hander Corey Kluber find deals.”
Matz, the former New York Mets left-hander, could sign as soon as Wednesday.
Verlander (one year, $25 million with the Houston Astros), Syndergaard (one year, $21 million with the Angels), Rodriguez (5 years, $77 million with the Detroit Tigers) and Heaney (one-year, $8.5 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers) all came off the board last week.
RELATED STORIES ABOUT MLB RUMORS
MLB rumors: Diamondbacks in the mix for ex-Yankees reliever
MLB rumors: Tigers explain flirtation with possible Yankees target Carlos Correa
MLB insider’s Hall of Fame prediction for 2022 ballot isn’t a good sign
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
Ad Choices