BALTIMORE – Baltimore Orioles have agreed to sign right-hand veteran Felix Hernandez on a minor league contract.
Hernandez won an American Cy Young League award, two ERA titles and formed six All-Star teams in 15 seasons with the Seattle Mariners before becoming a free agent last season.
The 34-year-old signed a minor league contract with Atlanta and looked sharp during spring training, but eventually gave up the 60-game season shortened by the pandemic.
In the most recent action in his major league, Hernandez won 1-8 with 6.40 ERA in 2019. He did not finish with an ERA below 4.00 in 2016, and his last All-Star appearance was in 2015. won 169 games and holds a career ERA of 3.42.
Hernandez could win a rotation spot with the Orioles in reconstruction, who blocked him on the left of All-Star 2019 John Means as a starter, but not much. They traded 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 return to at least one game in 2020.
Baltimore also announced Wednesday that it has agreed to sign minor league deals with fielders Seth Mejias-Brean and Malquin Canelo, right-handers Dusten Knight, Konner Wade and Spenser Watkins and left-back LeBlanc.