Ex-Rays All-Star inks one-year contract with competing Orioles.
Andrew Kittredge, one of the most underrated pitchers in Rays history, is heading to Baltimore. Despite missing much of 2022 and 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, the 34-year-old right-hander could’ve had one of the best stretches of play for a Rays reliever. Now fully recovered, Kittredge has inked a one-year, $10 million deal with the Orioles.
In the summer of 2008, the Seattle Mariners drafted Andrew Kittredge in the 45th round, hoping to add a promising talent from the University of Washington. As a Washington native, Kittredge likely relished the idea of playing for his home-state team. However, his journey in the Mariners’ farm system didn’t quite pan out, and he never made it to the majors with Seattle. After eight years in the minors, Kittredge was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in a deal that saw former first-round pick Richie Shaffer head to Seattle.
Once with the Rays, Kittredge found success quickly, going 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his first full season with Triple-A Durham. In 2017, nearly a decade after being drafted, he finally received his first call-up to the big leagues. Over his seven seasons with the Rays, Kittredge posted an impressive 18-7 record and a 3.65 ERA.
His standout season came in 2021, when he went 9-3 with a remarkable 1.88 ERA. That year, Kittredge earned his first All-Star selection and finished fourth in ERA among MLB relievers. During the All-Star game, he delivered a perfect inning, retiring the side without allowing a hit or a run. Former Rays catcher Mike Zunino also had a memorable moment in the game, hitting an opposite-field solo home run in the sixth inning to help extend the American League’s lead.
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