Andrew Kittredge on joining the Orioles: ‘I want to win. I want to contend.’

The Orioles signed right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge to a one-year, $10 million contract with an option for 2026 on January 13^th. Kittredge spent seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, and last year with the St. Louis Cardinals.

On Tuesday, Kittredge spoke with the Baltimore media. Here are excerpts from that conversation:

Question: What kind of a perception of the Orioles did you have from playing with Tampa Bay?

Kittredge: “Spending the majority of my career in that division with the exception of last year, I feel like I’m fairly familiar with the organization and how they do things. It’s been cool watching from a distance to see kind of the turnaround that they’ve made in the last couple years. I think it was 2021 when I was in Tampa, we won 18 of 19 against the Orioles, and then two years later they’ve got the best record in the American League. Pretty cool to watch the turnaround that the organization has made and just competing for the American League every year, and hopefully this year we’re competing for the American League again and beyond that.”

Question: What about the Orioles felt like a good fit? Did you talk to Kyle Gibson, who pitched for the Orioles in 2023 and with you in St. Louis last season?

Kittredge: “I did talk to Gibby. He reached out, congratulating me on the deal, had nothing but great things to say about the organization. I was excited to hear from someone who’s been here recently, to kind of know that the clubhouse is in a good spot and there’s a strong desire to win here. There’s an expectation to win here. A lot to be really excited about. There was familiarity with the East. My wife and I have kind of almost become East Coasters by virtue of being [in Tampa Bay]. There was a lot to like, and then the young talent this organization has and the direction they’ve been going is really exciting. At this point in my career, I want to win. I want to contend, and this was a really good opportunity for me to do that.”

Question: Did you talk to manager Brandon Hyde about your role with the Orioles?

Kittredge: “Not too much. I did talk to Brandon a little bit and I think there’s just a lot of excitement for the bullpen in general, the arms that we’re going to have down there. Hopefully, with [Félix] Bautista being back and healthy from the sounds of it, everything’s looking good on that end. So, I think I’ve always kind of just had the attitude of, ‘Use me where you where you want to and I’ll try to do my best to be ready in any situation,’ and I expect to be in the mix there late in games, but also I’m willing to do whatever it whatever is needed. So, yeah, I kind of have a little bit of experience all over the map as far as innings, whether it’s early, late, in between. But yeah, just really kind of prepared to do whatever.”

Question: Do you feel like you put the Tommy John surgery you had in 2022 behind you last season?

Kittredge: “Yeah, and even going back to right after the surgery, I think it was really important for me to get in at the end of ’23 there a little bit. I know, I think I only threw, like, 12 or 13 innings or something like that. But that was a huge hurdle, just to get back and know that the arm is going to hold up and I can still do this and then building off that. I think that just allowed me to hit the ground running heading into spring training last year, and then was able to finish a full season healthy and felt really good throughout the whole thing. So, as far as I’m concerned, the Tommy John, I feel like, feels behind me, like something that is kind of over and done with and now I’m just back to being a normal pitcher.”

Question: You were a teammate of Charlie Morton, who also recently signed with the Orioles, in Tampa Bay for two seasons. What was he like as a teammate?

Kittredge: “Just a fierce competitor. Charlie is all business when it comes to baseball. I mean, it’s — I have a really good memory of a wild-card game that he pitched in in Oakland. I think it was 2019 and just that atmosphere there in Oakland was electric. It was one of the loudest places I had been at that time in my career and it was just fun to watch him compete and almost seemingly just kind of outcompete his opponent. But that’s what he brings. He’s intense but he’s focused and he’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse. He’s a little quieter, he’s a little reserved, but when he speaks it kind of speaks volumes. So, he’s a great guy to have around for leadership, but also just someone who’s been there and been doing it for a really long time.”

Note: The Orioles named Mark Fine as their Chief Marketing Officer and Kamaal Jones at Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. Fine, a Baltimore native, was a public relations intern for the Orioles in 1999 and 2000.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.