Baltimore Orioles Sign RP Mychal Givens

A former Baltimore Orioles reliever has returned. After two plus seasons, Mychal Givens is back in the Charm City.

The former shortstop, who played in Baltimore from 2015-2020, re-signed with his former team after spending time in with the Rockies, Reds, Cubs, and Mets since he was traded for Tyler Nevin, Terrin Vavra and Mishael Deson two years ago. Givens contract is for one year and $5 million with a mutual option for 2024.

Baltimore Orioles sign RP Mychal Givens

Givens was a key member of the Orioles bullpen during the tail end of their last competitive run, alongside Zack Britton and Darren O’Day. He was promoted to closer in 2018 after Britton’s injury and maintained his role until 2020.

His numbers for Baltimore, via Baseball-Reference: 3.32 ERA, 336.0 IP, 20 saves, 406 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, 3.14 FIP, 1.137 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 10.9 K/9

His Statcast page shows one change: his slider usage. Until 2021, Mychal Givens threw it only 15.6% of the time. In 2022? 29.8%. The batting average against was .203 (.202 xBAA) and he gave up only two home runs. Givens’s fastball showed improved spin rate: it was 90th percentile in 2022.

As far as his role in the Orioles bullpen, Givens could fill the void created by Joey Krehbiel, who was demoted to AAA late last season. He’ll be the oldest pitcher and should figure to share setup duties with Dillon Tate (by Roster Resource).

Other acquisitions

In minor league news, Baltimore agreed to terms with right-handed pitchers Eduard Bazardo, Wandisson Charles and

Bazardo played for Boston in two brief stints. Last year he appeared in 12 games and finished with a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 innings with 11 strikeouts, 4 walks, 4 HR allowed and 6.05 FIP. He possesses a four-pitch mix (four-seamer, slider, sinker and changeup).

The 26 year old Charles spent his minor league career in Oakland A’s system. His 2022 season was awful, with a 10+ ERA in 30 games in AA. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he pitched to a sub-2 ERA for Midland.

Dowdy is the oldest pitcher in this crew. The 29 year old journeyman was drafted in 2015 by the Detroit Tigers and debuted four years later for Texas after trades and Rule 5 selection. He played only two games for Cincinnati in 2022.