Feb. 21: Tillman will earn a $1MM bonus for reaching 125 innings and 150 innings, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). He’d earn $1.5MM upon reaching 175 and 190 innings and an additional $2MM for crossing the 200-inning barrier for the first time since 2014. Heyman adds that some of the incentive payments are deferred, but any deferrals would be voided with a trade.
Feb. 19, 10:42am: Kubatko tweets that Tillman can earn another $7MM via incentives, meaning the deal can max out at $10MM.
10:18am: The Orioles are in agreement on a contract that will bring right-hander Chris Tillman back to Baltimore, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets that it’s a big league contract, and Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com adds that it’s a one-year deal.
Tillman, a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, receives a $3MM guarantee, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (all Twitter links). Kubatko adds that Tillman is taking his physical this morning and, unsurprisingly, can boost his salary via performance bonuses for innings pitched.
The 29-year-old Tillman will return to the only organization he’s known as a Major Leaguer. The former second-round pick (Mariners, 2006) has spent parts of the past nine big league seasons pitching for the Orioles since coming to Baltimore alongside Adam Jones in the 2008 Erik Bedard blockbuster.
Last season was the worst full season of the veteran Tillman’s big league career, as the long-time rotation stalwart opened the year on the disabled list due to bursitis in his throwing shoulder and seemingly never made a full recovery. Tillman struggled to a ghastly 7.84 ERA in just 93 innings due to that ailment, posting the worst full-season averages of his career in strikeouts (6.1 K/9), walks (4.9 BB/9) and home runs (2.3 HR/9). His average fastball velocity (90.7 mph) dropped by a full mile per hour from 2016 as well.
Those undesirable results notwithstanding, the Orioles did well to bring Tillman back on a modest $3MM base. Last offseason, for instance, rotation rebound candidates such as Tyson Ross and Derek Holland each landed $6MM contracts, while Andrew Cashner took home a $10MM guarantee from the Rangers. That said, shoulder issues tend to throw up significant red flags for clubs, and several potential suitors for Tillman have already made rotation acquisitions this offseason (e.g. Mike Fiers to the Tigers, Jake Odorizzi to the Twins, Jaime Garcia to the Blue Jays).
Tillman joins Cashner, whom the Orioles signed to a two-year deal worth $16MM last week, as the second arm added to a rotation that was in dire need of some veteran additions entering the offseason. Baltimore had as many as three vacancies to fill, and GM Dan Duquette has said in the past that he’d like to add a left-hander to the mix, so it’s possible that there’s another addition yet to come. Assuming he passes his physical, Tillman will slot into the rotation behind Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy and the newly signed Cashner, giving Baltimore a fairly experienced quartet of arms on which to rely.
If he’s healthy, Tillman could very well be among the best of that bunch, too. From 2012-16, he started 143 games for the Orioles and worked to a 3.81 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 with a 40.2 percent ground-ball rate. He doesn’t need to replicate those numbers to justify a commitment ranging from $3MM to $10MM, of course; if he can merely provide 30 mostly serviceable starts, he’ll be well worth the investment for the O’s.
Even with Tillman and Cashner on board, the team still faces an uphill battle in competing with the Red Sox and Yankees for a division crown. A healthy Tillman increases their chances of remaining competitive but also gives the team a potential trade chip midway through the year should Baltimore find itself facing a sizable deficit in the standings. The team’s ability to compete in the season’s first half will be among the most fascinating storylines to follow, as if the Orioles are out of contention come July, they’ll have tough decisions to make not only on Tillman but on free-agents-to-be Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Adam Jones and Manny Machado.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Alex Graboyes
Took em long enough
dimitriinla
Two smart moves by O’s to solidify their rotation in Cash and Tilly. They’re a gamble but but economically they make sense and bring a veteran presence to a rotation sorely in need of that.
ThePriceWasRight
It’s not a gamble. the os are simply hoping Tillman pitches week enough for trade consideration. it’s the same as the blue jays. look how many 1 year contracts and pending FAs both teams will have.
spudchukar
Still pending physical is code for this is is a publicity stunt.
mehs
He has been with the Orioles since 2009 where they have seen his medical records. Why would they need this as a stunt? He had also been working out at the Orioles facilities in the off season despite being a free agent.
nolan1021
Crap I wanted the Tigers to get him
stevewpants
So did most Oriole fans. Last season of Jones and Manny and their pitching moves consist of this and Cashner? Doesn’t look like going for it one last time to me.
rysteve11
As an orioles fan I disagree, this and cashner are great moves as long as they now go and get Lynn too, they’ve spent a combined 8 million for this year between the two, they have plenty of money left
jdgoat
Does that not kind of worry you that they’re trying to win and have only gave two pitchers 8 million?
stevewpants
But i would agree with you if the post was about them signing Lynn. But it isnt.
jbigz12
You guys got some ass backwards math going on. Tillman got a guaranteed 3 and cashner got 8. To me that adds up to 11. With incentives it could be over 20.
osfandan
Cashner makes 5 this year. 3 deferred.
dimitriinla
Yeah that’s a pretty good deal for the O’s.
bradthebluefish
Can’t get Lynn if you already spent it on Tillman and Cashner. Freaking annoying to see the Orioles always, ALWAYS go for 5 ERA players. Not only that, but they overspend for them too. Ugh.
jbigz12
3 million dollars for a starting pitcher is absolutely nothing. If he sucks we lost a quarter of what we paid wade Miley or ubaldo jimenez last season. This move shouldn’t deter us from signing another pitcher. We need arms in camp badly.
Pops
Yes. I suppose there’s a chance the Orioles could be trying to save all those extra millions for signing
Manny in the future…but honestly I thought theyd be spending much more than they have on starting pitching….because without starting pitching, why pay for Manny? Oh well.
dimitriinla
They certainly should not sign Manny — that is a disaster of a contract waiting to happen. They have some good pitching prospects in their system and they are looking to buy time so that those guys come then step up. In reality they could have a very formidable rotation within a couple years.
jbigz12
We don’t really have a bunch of good pitching prospects coming up. We have hunter Harvey. We have some other guys who might be back end starters but we don’t have the arms in the system right now. Tanner Scott is likely a reliever and DL Hall is a ways away.
Bryzzo2016
They need to pick a lane. Are they trying to actually contend? Or, are they going for a rebuild? If they’ve already accepted that they will not re sign Machado, they should consider a rebuild.
The worse place to be is in the middle. As currently constructed there is no chance they can keep up w/Boston or the Yanks over a 162. Is it possible to still grab a WC? That’s the question, if they think yes, then they need to go for it, and it starts with fixing that staff. If they think they need to much to grab even a WC spot, they should move Machado, Britton, etc… I imagine they might wait til the deadline, see where they’re realistically at, and perhaps move those guys then.
jbigz12
You can say the orioles need to pick a lane all day but the fact remains we need Andrew cashner and Chris Tillman to get through this season. Have you seen our back of the trotation options? Britton is out for half a season so he’s not going anywhere.
mehs
Britton is due back possibly as early as early May according to recent reporting.
Solaris601
Cashner and Tillman are bodies to fill rotation spots. I hope they both have career years, but it didn’t seem like too many other organizations were showing much interest. I’m happy for BAL that Wade Miley is off the board because I’m sure the temptation was great to bring him back. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see Hellickson re-signed. He had a horrible season in 2017 which means he’ll come cheap.
outinleftfield
You can have him. I will personally pay for the moving van to take his sorry behind to Canada.
oldleftylong
Me too!
bbird216
I think he will rebound from his awful last two years. But it’s still a hard park and division to pitch in. Good thing TB is trying hard to tank and Toronto is mediocre at best.
TheManInWhite
Toronto is certainly not mediocre at best, and while not on par with the Yanks or Sox, they are solidly in the “above average” rank and probably more capable than Baltimore to snag a WC spot.
jbigz12
Toronto and Baltimore have been similar teams for years now. What have the blue jays added to make that team significantly better? Grichuk, grandy and solarte? If the orioles add another starter our rotation isn’t that far off from the jays. Offensively the teams are comparable and the bullpens are comparable as well. It’s kinda like throwing stones in a glass house.
Paul Miller
Toronto’s pitching is superior than Baltimore’s. Depth is greater too.
jbigz12
Toronto’s pitching depth isn’t great. They have 5 starters as long as Aaron Sanchez’s finger issues still allow him o start all year. I suspect there is some concern and that’s why they’re keeping biagini stretched out. If the orioles add another starter in FA or trade we aren’t far off from them.
gorav114
Delusional. The Orioles are a far better team than Toronto.
dynamite drop in monty
My projectile bile vomit was far better than my fecal emergency liquid spew.
jbigz12
I mean no. Neither team is far better than the other.
bigkempin
Tillman’s last two awful years? In 2016 he was 16-6, 3.77 ERA, 1.285 WHIP, and managed 170 innings.
mehs
He had a 4.1 WAR in 2016 don’t see how that qualifies as awful. 2017 was awful for sure.
mgrap84
Last year was bad, the year before that he won 16 games. He has honestly only had 1 bad year. Every pitcher has bad games. He has ben one of the most consistent guy they have put out there for years
Rwm102600
I’ll take it. I think he’s a great candidate for a solid bounce back season.
CubsFanForLife
3 MM is low. Even for a pillow contract, I thought he’d get 1/10
tonypro7
10?? Maybe 2 years ago. Not in this market. Maybe he can get to 10 with incentives. To his credit he made very clear he wanted a 1 year deal to rebound.
Caseys.Partner
When have you ever seen a player offered a contract where he can more than triple the guarantee via incentives? Teams hunt for bargains. The Orioles hope for $15 million worth of performance for $3 million.
wrigleywannabe
if he gives them 15 worth of performance, he won’t come at 3 million.
Bet Your Sweet Bippy
Looks like you were wrong about that one big guy
dirtydan
He can get 1/10 if he gets all of his incentives
GONEcarlo
No surprise there
mt in baltimore
Probably took this long to give him a chance to shop around for a better landing place.
Orioles were smart to wait him out—though it’s nerve-wracking to be a fan of this team..,
tonypro7
All depends on that shoulder. When he’s healthy he’s a very solid starter. He seems to want to pitch through shoulder pain which results in his terrible stretches. Let’s just hope this isn’t the last addition. If it is, the Os are a 4th place team with 75 wins or so. I hope for better….
FriendOfBoras
Damn, I was hoping the cubbies would have picked him up. It may be time for the Cubs to consider a rebuild, things just aren’t going there way.
simschifan
Idiot
Free Clay Zavada
I’m a simple man, I see FriendOfBoras, I downvote.
outinleftfield
Add Syndergaarden Cop and Yankees Addiction to that list. They are the same person.
mlb1225
Why should The Cubs rebuild? They’ve got a good team, and what do you mean by “Things just aren’t going their way”? Because they missed out on Tillman, but got Yu Darvish.
dynamite drop in monty
Don’t encourage him.
E munchy
Hopefully he bounces back. If he is healthy and having a good season and the orioles are out of it he could be flipped at the deadline. Then again did is the gm.
realgone2
Then again angelos is the owner
Senioreditor
Based on last years numbers he was extremely lucky to secure any type of guaranteed contract.
realgone2
Hopefully he bounces back, but I’m skeptical. 3 million ain’t that much though.
Ironman_4life
Pennies compared to your salary ?
rememberthecoop
Heck, the Cubs paid more for a guy who they know may not even pitch this season or if he does it won’t be until after the ASG.
ray_derek
That’s why they signed him to two years
stansfield123
This is great news. We’re starting the season with 2-3 guaranteed wins.
P.S. I’m a Yankee fan.
jbigz12
Nice!
simschifan
Hold on a second, he still needs to pass the physical
mgrap84
This is a good deal. Remember 2016 he won 16 games and that was his 2nd time he won 16 games. If he stays healthy and can do that again, this is a steal
rememberthecoop
Dude, it’s 2018, we don’t use “wins and losses” to define a pitcher’s value. There are way too many variables outside of a pitcher’s direct control to consider how many wins being a function of how well a starter has pitched. Run support, defense, bullpen….
mehs
In 2016 he was a 4.1 WAR player.
stymeedone
Just because you have removed “wins” from your assessments, does not speak for the whole world. Nor does someone mentioning it mean that it is the only thing they are looking at.
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
Wow, I wonder what the incentives are that can take his salary from $3 million to $10 million… All-Star, World Series MVP and Cy Young? Discover a cure for the common cold?
raef715
vargas had 250k increments for every level of 10 innings after 160, so likely something like.
with their rotaiton options, this deal makes sense for the orioles with this kind of structure for 1 year.
jbigz12
Or pitch like a Mlb caliber starter….
Joeypower
Why is Baltimore sooo relentless to sign good pitchers?! Such a powerful house.. anyways
Trevor 3
That is the million dollar question my friend.
camdenyards46
Yes I wanted this
I think he will rebound
outinleftfield
Rebound all the way to mediocre from putrid. I doubt that happens. Did you see the lowered velocity and control last season? Nearly 2 mph on his FB and sinker. He walked 4.9 per 9 IP. Tillman is either so injured that he isn’t worth the roster space or he is just done. Either way why sign him to a major league deal?
gorav114
Tillman was working out at the Orioles facilities in Sarasota, FL so they were able to monitor him better than any other team. They said he looks like pre 2017 Tillman so I’m feeling pretty good about the signing.
mlb1225
Are they rebuilding or contending? If they want to contend, they should be pursuing Lynn and/or Cobb.
jmorgan
Yay for signing a pitcher who struggles to get out
Of the 3rd inning.
Let me guess, just like Chris “Mark Reynolds 2.0” Davis the O’s bid against themselves and no one was going near this guy.
Lol.
This team is going to get lit up….lololol
Luckily the Nats 50 miles away!
cxcx
Good for the Orioles getting someone on a one-year deal; that is generally a tough thing to do for teams that pitch in hitter-friendly environs. I guess they played to familiarity/comfort.
What lefties are left if Garcia, Sanchez. and Vargas signed? Liriano is all I can think of off the top of my head.
jbigz12
I’d like liriano. I’d like Cahill too. We need at least 6 to make it through a season.
McGlynn
Orioles continue to build their Hall Of Fame caliber pitching staff. Just need to get Lincecum now.
jbigz12
Good one. I suppose youd prefer we made no moves? I hope we sign two more guys to incentive laden deals.
outinleftfield
Not guys like Tillman. He is a waste of roster space.
jbigz12
That’s pretty short sighted thinking. I don’t know as an orioles fan how you can hate on Tillman. You take away last season and he’s been the best pitcher on our team the last 5 years. He’s not a #1 starter and he shouldn’t be our opening day starter like he routinely is but I have no problem believing he can bounce back and give us solid innings. If we can get a guy who can toss up a low 4 ERA we’ll be alright.
mgrap84
You’re a waste of air. If you don’t know what you are talking about then stfu
outinleftfield
Why Duke? Why? We have seen this bum for 9 seasons now and he has never been better than meh pitcher at his best. Last season he was horrible. He can;t strike anyone out and he walks nearly 5 per 9 ip. I thought we would at least have a competitive team this year, but it looks like not only are you not starting the rebuild we desperately need, but we are going to stink again this year.
jbigz12
Tillman has literally been our best pitcher almost every year for the last what 5 years. Last seasons disastrous year notwithstanding. He can definitely be a solid #3 or 4 starter assuming he can get back on track. He’s shown that. I could care less about strikeouts we need rotation options. He’s certainly better than Gabriel ynoa or mike wright.
mgrap84
Yea he didnt win 16 games twice or anything…. Gtf outta here dude
Frank kemble
I’ve been hating on the Orioles all off-season but really if ya think, the addition by subtraction alone will help.. Jimenez was a disaster, Wade Miley, Hellickson..etc didn’t work out. Bundy and gausman may be ready to step up more, if Tillman shoes his old self and Cashner does decent then it’s not a bad rotation. It’s not an astros rotation but decent. Britton back in the 2nd half, fresh arm down the stretch, Hays might surprise, schoop, manchini… The Ray’s are taking a big step back too. Royals in the AL stepping back..One more starter and a very good 2nd half down the stretch and they could be in the “wild card” hunt.
jbigz12
It’s hard to believe but that’s the truth. The orioles were in the WC race all season until we absolutely tanked the last 6 weeks of the season. Assuming Tillman can go back to being a 170-185 inning 4 ERA guy we aren’t that far off. We need another starter though. We can’t just be okay with a Miguel Castro/mike wright/ Gabriel ynoa combo. We haven’t guaranteed a lot of money to FA’s and there’s still room in the budget for another pitcher and a LH hitting outfielder. We could even have room for Moose honestly. Don’t know if that would be wise but we have the dollars.
mgrap84
I feel if they add Cobb and CarGo we would have a much better shot at 3rd and a possibility at the WC spot. We already know Machado is gone so im not sure why we just don’t move him, sign Moose and keep Beckham at short. I know then combined aren’t even equal to Manny but atleast we don’t have to worry about them leaving. Hell even AJ said he probably won’t be back so why not move these guys and see what we can get back. I mean let’s face it, we aren’t contending any time soon with how good the Yankees look
jbigz12
Jones won’t bring anything back. His contract doesn’t have any surplus value and the orioles aren’t a team to eat money. We could move Manny and probably should. If the offer is right. If the offer isn’t any good I’d rather keep him and lose him this offseason. I don’t want a couple back end of the rotation type prospects for machado.
Bartman
Reporting who reported it first, second and third appears to be more important than accuracy!
CubsNation
I was kinda hoping this wouldent happen, he tore the Cubs a new one last year.
FriendOfBoras
Fake News…..Tillman is a has been! The Cubs and any organization can hit off this guy all day long no problems.
gorav114
U sound fake writing off a guy under 30 after one bad season where he had shoulder trouble. Prior to that he was durable and very competitive for several seasons.
mgrap84
FOB you’re a has been. People like you need to do research before you open your mouth. He had one bad season and he is a has been? He has won 16 games twice and an all-star. You know players do have bad seasons every once in awhile you jackass