Orioles Agree to Terms with SP Moments Before MLB Lockout

In the final moments leading up to the MLB lockout, right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles had reportedly agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles

The one-year deal agreed upon by Jordan Lyles and the Baltimore Orioles is good for $7 million dollars and includes a club option for the 2023 season.  Due to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association, the deal won’t be official until after the lockout, which began at midnight on Thursday. Post-lockout, the team and Jordan Lyles can complete the physical required to finalize the deal.

The 31-year-old Lyles has a career record of 54-79 with a 5.21 ERA.  It’s possible that the Orioles will use him as pitching depth.  He has the experience to be a Major League starter but also can come out of the bullpen and be the long-man, giving manager Brandon Hyde some flexibility so he doesn’t end up overusing his bullpen.

The signing by General Manager Mike Elias gives the Orioles more options depending on who makes the starting rotation in 2022.  It’s good for teams to have plenty of pitching depth because a 162-game season is a grind on everyone, especially pitchers. Injuries to O’s pitchers played a big part in keeping the group from playing their best baseball at times last season.

This was a surprising move to me, personally, as I didn’t think the Orioles were going to make anymore moves before the MLB lockout.  Who knows how long this dispute will last. But, in the end, we all hope that it will be beneficial for the owners and the players to get on the same page.

With the reported signing of Jordan Lyles, this may mean that the Orioles won’t look to bring back Matt Harvey. Like Lyles, Harvey was signed last offseason because the team needed depth in the rotation.  He struggled at times but ended up starting 28 games, the most by Harvey in a single season since his final season with the New York Mets in 2018.