The Orioles have added an established veteran to their rotation with the signing of former Miami starting pitcher Dan Straily to a one-year contract.
The 30-year-old was released by the Marlins in a cost-cutting move on March 25 and owns a career 4.23 ERA in 142 major league appearances, 132 of them starts. Straily went 5-6 with a 4.12 ERA and averaged 7.3 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per nine innings in 23 starts spanning 122 1/3 innings last season. In addition to beginning his career with Oakland and spending time with Cincinnati over seven major league seasons, Straily also pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Houston, giving him some familiarity with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and general manager Mike Elias.
Straily figures to eventually settle into a rotation spot with the current quartet of Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy, and David Hess. Baltimore has already pitched two bullpen games this season with Cobb having a short stint on the injured list and Mike Wright working in a relief role. Nate Karns has started each of those two games as an “opener.”
To make room for Straily on the 25-man roster, the Orioles have designated Rule 5 utility player Drew Jackson for assignment. The 25-year-old had impressed the organization with his defensive versatility and batted .327 in the Grapefruit League, but Elias prefers going to a 13-man pitching staff for the time being and cited the difficulty in carrying Rule 5 players on the active roster all season. Jackson was 0-for-3 with a walk in limited playing time so far this season.
Jackson is the second Rule 5 pick Elias has jettisoned from the roster in the opening week of the season, which is a stark contrast from the previous regime’s obsession with Rule 5 players that was so frequently detrimental and not exactly fruitful for contending clubs. Right-handed reliever Pedro Araujo was designated for assignment earlier this week, but the Orioles announced they reacquired his rights from the Cubs for international signing bonus slots and assigned him to Double-A Bowie.
