Former Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Signs Deal To Play Overseas

One of the previous Baltimore Orioles pitchers has now signed a deal to play professional baseball overseas.

Jul 6, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cole Irvin (19) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles were in desperate need of pitching this past year when multiple established arms went down with season-ending injuries.

That's why it was surprising to see them designate Cole Irvin for assignment that resulted in him being claimed by the Minnesota Twins to end his tenure with the franchise.

Once a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2016, his struggles during 2019 and 2020 in limited action prompted them to trade him to the Athletics.

There, the left-hander showcased some of his talent that earned him a high selection in the draft when he posted a 4.11 ERA and 95 ERA+ across his 62 starts. That prompted the Orioles to acquire him ahead of the 2023 season where they were hoping he could be a solid backend starter for them.

Things didn't quite work out that way, though.

Irvin began in the rotation on Opening Day, but his struggles got him sent down to Triple-A before he was brought back up later in the year as a reliever.

He finished that campaign with a 4.41 ERA across his 24 outings and 12 starts, but prior to this past season, the front office and coaching staff still believed he could be a contributor for them in some role.

Bullpen was what they decided on, but again he struggled when rotating between relief appearances and starts because of the injuries Baltimore's pitchers had suffered.

On July 30, they designated him for assignment for the first time where he cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A before ultimately being called back up in late-August.

However, the second time they DFA'd him on Sept. 25 was when the Twins scooped him up.

Unfortunately for him, things didn't go well in Minnesota either when he allowed five earned runs in his 3.1 innings pitched across his four outings, prompting them to also designate him for assignment before outrighting him to the minors.

Now, Irvin will look to get his career back on track overseas.

According to Jee-ho Yoo of Yonahp New Agency, he has signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization.

In the past, anytime a player decided to go overseas, that marked the end of their prospects in the MLB, but recently, plenty of pitchers have continued their careers in the international game to find their stuff and produce solid seasons in Major League Baseball.

At just 30 years old, that could also be the route Irvin takes if he can produce good results in South Korea.