Baltimore Orioles Sign Jamie Moyer to a Minor League Deal

Jamie Moyer‘s career may not be over after all.  After the Rockies released Moyer last month, there was question as to whether he would hang up the spikes and call it a career or not.  After all, he had reached the mark as the oldest pitcher to win a Major League game.  Instead, it looks like Moyer is willing to give it another shot, and the Orioles are willing to give him that shot.

Baltimore signed Moyer and sent him to Triple-A Norfolk.  He is expected to start for Norfolk on Sunday.  His last start this season was a loss on May 27th.

Moyer became the oldest pitcher to win a Major League game earlier this year when he pitched seven innings of six-hit ball on April 17th against the San Diego Padres.  It was his third start of the year.  Unfortunately, Moyer’s success with the Rockies was short-lived.  He was 2-5 with a 5.70 ERA while pitching for the Rockies this year.

In his career, Moyer has never been a dominant pitcher.  However, he has managed to get the job done and stick around the league.  He owns a career 4.25 ERA, but he has won 269 games in his career.  In his 25-year career, Moyer has pithed for eight different teams.  If the Orioles eventually call him up, he will increase that number to nine.

The Orioles are playing their best baseball in years and are a half game up on the Yankees for first place in the American League East.  Signing Moyer may simply be a move to add an additional arm for insurance if something were to happen to anyone in their rotation, but there is no guarantee Moyer gets called up.  If the Orioles keep playing like they have been, Moyer’s best shot at another Major League appearance may be in September when rosters expand.  However, most teams like to call up prospects so they can evaluate them at the big league level.