The Birds secure their bullpen anchor, betting on the intimidation and consistency of the high-leverage righty to stabilize their late-inning defense through at least the 2028 season.
The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a contract extension with reliever Yennier Cano through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. Cano was arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons. He is guaranteed $7.5 million over the next two seasons, with the club option potentially costing the Orioles, or whichever team he may play for, $10 million.
Cano has a 2.21 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings for the O's. The Havana, Cuba, native is in his fifth major league season and his fifth with the Orioles. Cano has a 3.17 ERA across 255 appearances since 2023, according to Just Baseball, making him one of the most consistent relievers in baseball. He is known for his stare, which he uses to intimidate hitters after strikeouts, despite recording just 31 strikeouts in more than 36 innings.
He was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in 2022 in a trade that included pitcher Jorge López. Left-handed pitchers Cade Povich, who has started 39 games for the Orioles over three seasons, and Juan Rojas, along with right-handed pitcher Juan Núñez, also ended up in Baltimore. Both Rojas and Núñez are still grinding their way through the minor league ranks.
Cano uses a low arm slot and leans heavily on his sinker, which he threw nine times among his 12 pitches during his last appearance against the Detroit Tigers. Cano allowed just one earned run in July and three earned runs dating back to the beginning of June. He rarely gets save opportunities and is primarily used as a middle reliever. Cano has one save and two blown saves this season.
Cano has the best ERA in Baltimore's bullpen, just ahead of Tyler Wells (2.72) and Rico Garcia (3.09). Inside the Pen ranks the Orioles' bullpen No. 9 in Major League Baseball. Cano is a big reason the Orioles have one of the league's better bullpens, providing a reliable arm in high-leverage situations.
Baltimore is currently 53-56 and in fourth place in the AL East, 11½ games behind first place. The Orioles are 2½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot, just behind the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros, who are both 55-55 and one game out of a wild-card berth. There is still a window for the Orioles to get back into the playoff race. Signing Cano checks one box the organization no longer has to worry about for the remainder of this season and into next year.
