Longtime Orioles starter signs with AL Central champs on one-year deal

Lefty John Means stood tall on the hill late on a Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, one out away from the Orioles' first complete-game no-hitter since 1969. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford strode up to the plate and, on the first pitch, lined out softly to shortshop Ramon Urías for the final out of Means' masterpiece.

The May 5, 2021 no-hitter in Seattle was one of many gems Means spun as a member of the Orioles. Like Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander, John Means is one of the few Orioles players who survived the "dark ages" from 2018-2021 and went on to play in the winning era from 2022-2024.

While injuries prevented Means from appearing in any of the Orioles playoff games in 2023 and 2024, Means still pitched in some impactful games with the Orioles. One such game came against the Guardians on September 23, 2023, with the Orioles stumbling and holding onto first place in the AL East by the skin of their teeth.

On that Saturday night, Means turned in arguably his second most dominating start of his career, holding the Guardians to one run over 7 masterful innings to earn a huge win for the Orioles. In fact, Means carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning, which was broken up by second baseman Andres Gimenez's solo home run.

Former Orioles' lefty John Means lands a short-term contract with the Guardians

That is the legacy the former Orioles' lefty leaves behind, as the 31 year-old Means has reportedly inked a one-year deal with those same Cleveland Guardians, ending his seven-year stint in Baltimore. Although the Guardians have not confirmed the details of the agreement, Means will likely receive a modest salary in 2025 as he continues to rehabilitate from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in June 2024. The Guardians carry a club option for 2026, which they will likely exercise if Means proves healthy in the latter part of 2025.

Means' eventual addition to the Cleveland rotation will bolster an already stout group that includes Shane Bieber (also recovering from elbow surgery), ace Tanner Bibee, and solid veterans Ben Lively, Gavin Williams, and Triston McKenzie. And adding a lefty to the rotation is good news for the Guardians: Progressive Field in Cleveland ranked second to last in Baseball Savant's park factors for home runs by right-handed hitters, below even Camden Yards and the former Great Wall of Baltimore.

When healthy, Means was a rare bright spot for some brutal Orioles teams from 2019-2021. In 2019, Means went 12-11 and was worth 4.5 WAR for an Orioles team that was 54-108 that season. In his 2021 All Star campaign, Means was just 6-9, but he was worth 3.9 WAR and paced the Orioles' starters with a 3.62 ERA. Impressive for a team that went a paltry 52-110.

Although Means missed the 2023 playoffs and the beginning of 2024, his return this past season got off to a strong start. Means made his first start of 2024 in early May against Ohio's other team - the Reds - and spun 7 sparkling innings of no-run baseball en route to an Orioles' 2-1 win. In what turned out to be his final start as an Oriole, Means threw three scoreless innings in St. Louis on May 22 before leaving due to elbow soreness that would eventually lead to his second Tommy John surgery. He finished the year with a 2.61 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 20 innings.

During the darkest times before the new dawn that is Orioles baseball, John Means provided a rare breath of fresh air in Baltimore. The unhittable changeup against righties; the solid starts that time and time again ended losing streaks; the no-hitter in 2021 and season-saving start in 2023. These are some of the great memories we will take with us as Means takes his talents to Cleveland.

Farewell, John Means. You will be missed.