The signing of Albert Suárez was greeted warmly by Oriole fans, and it should have been. Suárez is a great guy in the clubhouse, has a wonderful back story, and was a huge plus for the Orioles in 2024.
Suárez wasn’t offered a major league contract by the team last month. That came as a surprise because Suárez’s projected arbitration salary of $900,000 was the lowest among the 14 Orioles originally eligible for arbitration.
There aren’t many 36-year-olds who are eligible for arbitration for the first time, and if he sticks around the major leagues for another three years, he’ll be a true six-year major league free agent for the first time at 39.
Suárez pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2016 and 2017 before pitching in Japan from 2019-2021 and South Korea in 2022 and 2023. The Orioles quietly signed him in September 2023.
He was a wonderful surprise in 2024, appearing in 32 games, starting 24 times with a 9-7 record and 3.70 ERA. He missed most of 2025 with a rotator cuff injury, appearing in only five games, leading to the non-tender.
This free agency lasted less than a month. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias explained Suárez’s situation on November 21st.
“The arbitration system, the tender system, there are price points that are set by the system itself that you have to adapt your decision-making to,” he said. “We love Albert. He’s been a tremendous success story for us since our pro scouts and Mike Snyder’s group found him coming out of Asia. What our pitching department did to develop him, and then what he did, particularly in 2024.
“And it was a real bummer, and it was a big part of a lot of the struggles we had last [season] that he got hurt. I don’t want to go into details about our decision-making as we approach these tender decisions, but we very much are fans of Albert and we’re very much hoping to continue talking to him, and made that clear to him and his group. And I hope the feeling’s mutual.”
Suárez is back, and he’ll come to spring training with a genuine chance to make the team for the second year in a row. He began 2024 at Triple-A Norfolk, and after three games there, came to the Orioles on April 17th and stayed in the major leagues for the rest of the season.
In 2025, he made the team out of camp, pitched in the second game of the season on March 28th, and didn’t pitch again until September 2nd. He was shut down after four games.
After a visit to Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas in early October, Suárez was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain in his right forearm. That was good news, and the Orioles hope that Suárez is there to help again in 2026.
Where does he fit in?
The Orioles could use him as a swingman, which was their intention in 2025. With all the other injuries they had, a healthy Suárez would have been a big help in the rotation.
So far, Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells look to be part of the rotation, and Elias will surely add two more, whether by free agency or trade.
The Orioles also have Cade Povich and Brandon Young, who combined to start 32 times. There are several potential starters in the high minors — Trey Gibson, Nestor German, Cameron Weston and Levi Wells.
Most of them wouldn’t be considerations for early next season, but if there’s a need, then you could see them later in 2026.
Perhaps Suárez is there to help the rotation early in 2026. For the moment, he probably fits better in the bullpen.
While Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns both can pitch multiple innings, they’re both left-handers, and having a right-handed pitcher who can easily pitch two, three or four innings would be a big help.
Suárez could also be a mentor. A pitcher who returns to the major leagues after working in the minor leagues, the Caribbean and Asia for six years, can teach young pitchers adaptability and resilience.
Means ruptures Achilles: Former Orioles left-hander John Means suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon on Tuesday. He said on his Instagram account he was about to sign with a team. Means had Tommy John surgeries in 2022 and 2024 and has started just 10 games since 2022. He signed with Cleveland in February 2025 but never pitched for the Guardians. He underwent surgery by Dr. Bryan Vopat in Overland Park, Kansas.
“I was finally enjoying my first healthy offseason in four years and felt better than ever,” he wrote. “I don’t know why this happened or how this chapter will ultimately be used, but I know it’s now part of my story and God has a plan.”
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected].
