BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles signed reliever Yennier Cano to a two-year contract Friday for the 2027 and 2028 seasons with a club option for 2029.
The deal essentially buys out the two remaining years Cano would have been eligible for salary arbitration and gives Baltimore the choice of whether to keep him under team control for 2029 or allow him to become a free agent at that point.
“Yennier has been outstanding for us both on and off the
field since his arrival in 2022,” Orioles president Mike Elias said in a statement. “He has blossomed into one of the game’s most reliable and consistent relief pitchers. We are proud of all the hard work he has put in alongside our development team and are pleased he and his family will remain in Baltimore.”
The 32-year-old right-hander from Cuba has been arguably the Orioles’ best reliever this season, entering Friday with a 2.21 ERA and one save in 48 appearances.
Acquired in the 2022 trade that sent right-hander Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins, Cano earned All-Star honors with the Orioles in 2023 while pitching to a 2.11 ERA in 72 outings.
He is 11-17 with a 3.78 ERA and 16 saves in 268 career games, all but 10 of those coming with Baltimore.
The deal continues an Orioles trend of signing players already on the major league roster to multiyear contracts since David Rubenstein took over as controlling owner in March 2024. Most recently, right-handed starter Kyle Bradish received a $90 million, five-year deal covering 2027-2031, which was announced July 18.
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