![\"Oct](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5065,h_2849,x_0,y_528\/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/11\/01jcpvdxfz2f15nbyxrm.jpg\")
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Earlier this week, Bleacher Report sent out their list of the top-25 MLB free agents with predicted landing spots and salary projections. The Orioles were connected to a number of players, most of which we’ve seen before.<\/p>\n
One name that stood out as a potential new face is former Yankees closer Clay Holmes.<\/p>\n
The Orioles are expected to get their own star closer, Felix Bautista, back before the start of spring training next February.<\/p>\n
Bautista looked good during a bullpen session that he shared on Instagram, and all signs point toward him returning to the stud that O’s fans know and love.<\/p>\n
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t space left in the bullpen for 2025.<\/p>\n
Yes, Seranthony Dominguez is returning but based on his erratic results this past summer, he isn’t guaranteed to stick in the back of the bullpen – he’ll have to earn the spot.<\/p>\n
That’s all to say that there will be ample opportunity for someone to step into a high-leverage role next year. Holmes could potentially be that guy, if the Orioles want to pay up for him.<\/p>\n
Bleacher Report suggested that Holmes could earn a two-year deal worth $24 million. It would be a significant pay bump from the $6 million he made this year, but his performance warrants the raise.<\/p>\n
Holmes has pitched to a combined 2.85 ERA over the last three years with the Yankees. In that time, he’s notched 74 saves in just under 190 innings.<\/p>\n
The Orioles could use that kind of stability in the bullpen, so even though Holmes could be expensive, the investment might prove worth it.<\/p>\n
Orioles sign former Phillies and Marlins prospect to minor league contract<\/strong><\/p>\n On Thursday afternoon, the Orioles announced that they’d signed pitcher Robinson Martinez to a minor league contract.<\/p>\n The oft-injured righty treaded water after signing with the Phillies back in 2015, spending four seasons stuck in Rookie ball before finally getting shipped up to Low-A in 2019.<\/p>\n During that 2019 season, Martinez was one of three Phillies prospects to receive a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s Drug Prevention and Treatment program.<\/p>\n Early in his career, Martinez struggled to find the strike zone.<\/p>\n By the end of 2019, based on the stats and the suspension, the Phillies has seen about enough. After missing the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he wound up in the Marlins’ system ahead of 2021.<\/p>\n Martinez pitched well in that first season at Single-A but the results weren’t quite there in the following year.<\/p>\n Martinez missed essentially all of 2023 and 2024 with what seems to be an elbow sprain, though there doesn’t seem to be a record of him having undergone surgery to correct any issues.<\/p>\n He did pitch in the most recent Dominican Winter league, throwing 4.1 innings for Leones del Escogido.<\/p>\n The Orioles clearly feel confident that he’s healthy enough to roll the dice on his performance in 2025. Whether it’ll work out in Baltimore’s favor remains to be seen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Earlier this week, Bleacher Report sent out their list of the top-25 MLB free agents with predicted landing spots and salary projections. The Orioles were connected to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n