Orioles Announce Two-Year Extension With RHP Yennier Cano

The Baltimore Orioles have now extended four players this season. What more could be in store on Monday's trade deadline?

Jul 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Yennier Cano (78) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Orioles have inked another extension with one of their players. 

Baltimore agreed to terms on a two-year extension for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, along with a club option for right-handed pitcher Yennier Cano. The guaranteed value over the first two years is $7.5 million and his club option is for $10 million. His final two years of arbitration eligibility have been bought out with the club option covering his first year of free agency, if elected by the Orioles in 2029.

The Orioles additionally gave an extension to starting pitchers Shane Baz and Kyle Bradish, along with catcher Samuel Basallo. Baz ($68 million, enters free agency in 2031) and Bradish ($90 million, enters free agency in 2031) both earned five-year deals, while Basallo’s eight-year deal (worth $67 million) will make the 21-year-old a free agent in 2034. 

Cano, 32, initially signed with the Minnesota Twins as an international free agent. The Cuba native was eventually was traded to Baltimore in a deal that included pitchers Cade Povich and Juan Nunez for then-Orioles closer Jorge Lopez. Cano has since been a mainstay in Baltimore’s bullpen and was named an All-Star in the 2023 season with a 1-4 record and a 2.11 earned run average in 72.2 innings of work. His 2026 campaign has been his best since, posting a 2-2 record and a 2.21 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched.

The Orioles are currently 53-56 and sit 2.5 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot as of Friday afternoon.

“We’re 2.5 out,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said on Friday, per the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka. “We’re 3 games below .500. I think both of those are really disappointing. … But we still have a shot, a good shot, in the American League.”

In recent years, the Orioles have been both buyers and sellers ahead of the trade deadline. 

Baltimore acquired right-handed starting pitcher Jack Flaherty in 2023 – their lone move in a year when the club won the AL East (3-0), but were swept in the AL Divisional Series by the Texas Rangers. The Orioles became more aggressive in 2024, trading for right-handed starter Zach Eflin, left-handed starter Trevor Rogers, right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez, left-handed reliever Gregory Soto and right-handed power bat Eloy Jimenez. Baltimore eventually were swept by the Kansas City Royals (2-0) in the AL Wild Card Series. 

2025 became the year that the Orioles decided to sell, moving centerfielder Cedric Mullins to the New York Mets for right-handed pitchers Anthony Nunez, Raimon Gomez and Chandler Marsh. Baltimore also traded away right-handed starter Charlie Morton to the Detroit Tigers for lefty Micah Ashman.

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is on Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. Baltimore begins a three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies (57-52) on Friday.