BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to sign right-wing veteran Felix Hernandez on a minor league contract.
Hernandez won an American League Cy Young Award, two ERA titles and formed six All Star teams for 15 seasons with the Seattle Mariners before becoming a free agent last season.
The 34-year-old signed a minor league deal with Atlanta and looked sharp during spring training, but eventually opted not to participate in the pandemic-reduced 60-game season.
In his last action in the League, Hernandez won 1-8 with an ERA of 6.40 in 2019. He hasn’t finished with an ERA below 4.00 since 2016 and his last appearance in the All Star went be in 2015. He has won 169 games and has a career ERA of 3.42.
Hernandez could win a rotation spot with the Orioles under reconstruction, who have the 2019 All-Star left-hander John Means closed as a starter but not much else. They switched Alex Cobb to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, leaving Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer, Jorge Lopez, Wade LeBlanc, Thomas Eshelman and Bruce Zimmermann as the only players to restart at least one game in 2020.
Baltimore also announced Wednesday that it has agreed minor league deals with inmates Seth Mejias-Brean and Malquin Canelo, right-handers Dusten Knight, Konner Wade and Spenser Watkins, and left-wing LeBlanc.