Former Baltimore Orioles All-Star Closing in on Deal with AL Rival

The Baltimore Orioles stand to lose one of last year’s starting pitchers as he is closing in on a deal with an AL Central rival.

May 11, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means (47) throws a first inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

John Means is working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery and it appears a return to the Baltimore Orioles isn’t in the cards.

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported on Sunday that the Cleveland Guardians are in “advanced talks” to sign Means to a contract. At one time, Means was linked to the Boston Red Sox.

The 31-year-old left-hander made four starts last season, finishing with a 2.61 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

But the season ended in late May when the Orioles announced he would need season-ending surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm, which ended his season.

As he’s recovering from surgery, it’s hard to gauge whether Means will be able to pitch in the Majors for this year. For that reason, Baltimore allowed him to become a free agent after the season.

Means authored a no-hitter for the Orioles in 2021 and had a career record of 21-26 with a 3.74 ERA before he suffered his first elbow injury, which led to Tommy John surgery and ended his 2022 season.

He returned to the Orioles late in the 2023 season and started four games, going 1-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 innings. He is now 23-26 with a 3.68 ERA.

Baltimore selected Means in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB draft. He worked his way through the minor league system and made his MLB debut in 2018. He started his career as a reliever, emerged as a starter and was selected to the 2019 All-Star Game.