The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran left-hander Wade LeBlanc, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He’ll be in Major League camp during Spring Training and would stand to earn an $800K base salary upon cracking the MLB roster.
Baltimore represents a prime location for a 35-year-old veteran on this type of contract to make a legitimate bid for a roster spot. The Orioles have already traded away Dylan Bundy this winter, leaving their rotation with a composition of John Means, Alex Cobb (health permitting) and journeyman Asher Wojciechowski. The Orioles’ only other rotation moves this winter have been to sign former Twins prospect Kohl Stewart to a big league deal and to select righty Brandon Bailey from GM Mike Elias’ former Astros organization in the Rule 5 Draft. Other internal candidates for starting gigs include right-hander David Hess, who struggled substantially in 2019, and left-hander Keegan Akin, who has yet to make his MLB debut.
It’s the sort of woeful rotation mix one would expect from an organization that is more intent on securing the first overall pick in the 2021 draft than on winning games in the upcoming season. And while that may not be good news for O’s fans, it does provide an avenue for a veteran like LeBlanc to seek out a bounceback opportunity.
LeBlanc was harmed as much as any starter in the game with last year’s juiced ball, as he yielded a staggering 2.1 homers per nine innings pitched and saw his ERA balloon by nearly two full runs over its 2018 levels (5.71 in ’19 versus 3.72 in ’18). In spite of the poor bottom-line run prevention (or lack thereof), the veteran southpaw still maintained similar K/BB tendencies to the ones he showed in a solid three-year stretch that preceded the 2019 season.
From 2016-18, LeBlanc tossed 292 innings (35 starts, 66 relief appearances) and pitched to a 3.91 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 1.4 HR/9 between the Mariners and the Pirates. His soft-tossing arsenal will face a tough task in the American League East if he does land on the big league roster, as he’ll be moving from the spacious T-Mobile Park and a division that generally skews a bit more toward the pitcher-friendly side of things to the cozier Camden Yards and hitter-friendly AL East. The lack of competition for a starting spot in Baltimore, though, should give LeBlanc a legitimate chance to land a roster spot this spring.
Nice signing, upside, was rather good couple years ago.
The former Yankees great
They didn’t want to. It was just there turn.
gary thorne will tout him as an early cy young candidate
Ugh I read this in his voice
I hope you pronounced his name incorrectly, too
Lol nice touch
While mispronouncing his name repeatedly.
O’a need depth, this about as depth as it gets.
I bet he has an awesome accent
His nickname should be gambit.
Over/under total wins for the Os in 2020…12.5.
What you taking???
Over/under coldbeer’s IQ…12.5.
What you taking???
Cold beer once lost a game of checkers to a monkey
LeBlanc is a veteran that will give us stability through innings. He can go deep in games and if he pitches well, we’ll flip him for some young flyer prospects.
Cashner got us two International prospects last year. A Venezuelan SS and an a nice Outfielder , Elio Prado, who is on some Top30 lists for the O’s.
LeBlanc is worth a shot.
800k seems real low for a guy that’s been around as long as he has.
Great value, surprised he couldn’t score a 2-3 million major league deal.
A 36 year old with an ERA around 6? I’m not surprised that deal was not available.
He’s just turned 35 and next year is considered his age 35 season…..
He is 35 years old and 175 Days, Jorge!
Let me ask you a question.
Will major leagues teams be playing baseball on August 7th? Wade LeBlanc will turn 36 that day. Better luck next time, Hip hip Jorge!
thank you baltimore you just gave boston atleast 15 more wins this season
He’ll crack the rotation, but a bounce back? Has any pitcher ever bounced back in Baltimore?
You bounce worse on that team. I see a full season statline of around 7-12 with a 4.56 era as being a moderately successful campaign all things considered.
As Boston finishes 3rd in that division
LeBlanc keeps LeBlancin along! (I’ll see myself out)
I mean they some how got two very solid 17 year old international prospects for Cashner so why not? I guesses dumbrowski inst a GM anymore tho.
Damn he’s still around?
Damn he’s still around?