The Baltimore Orioles reportedly reached an agreement Friday with veteran starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez for a minor league deal.
Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com first reported the news. Roch Kubatko of MASN confirmed the details of the depth signing.
Rodriguez struggled across 17 appearances, including 15 starts, for the Texas Rangers last season. He posted a 4.90 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 86.1 innings before getting designated for assignment in late July. He then signed with the Kansas City Royals organization, but didn’t see any action in the majors.
The 37-year-old left-hander rejoined the Houston Astros, where he originally started his career, in January. He actually pitched quite well in six outings during spring training, going 2-0 with a 3.95 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings, but he didn’t make the final roster.
All told, Rodriguez has mostly been a replacement-level starter for most of his career. He’s 97-98 with a 4.10 ERA in 275 career games at the MLB level. He also had a stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates sandwiched between his time with the Astros and Rangers.
Connolly reported the Dominican Republic native is being sent to extended spring training in Sarasota, Florida. That’s a long way from the big leagues, but Rodriguez stated “all I ever want is a chance” during his time with the Astros, per Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, and that probably still holds true.
He added: “Every time I get a chance, I will make it the best I can. Every opportunity, I try to do the best I can.”
The signing comes as Baltimore’s rotation has battled inconsistency out of the gate. The starting staff ranks 22nd in the league in ERA at 4.72 after nearly a month of action, per ESPN. So it doesn’t hurt to pick up another starter with MLB experience as insurance.
Ultimately, the Orioles will likely decide how to move forward after getting a chance to monitor his stuff during the stint in extended spring training. Rodriguez can provide a reliable veteran presence at Triple-A and serve as solid rotation or bullpen depth, at the very least.
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