The Orioles announced this morning that veteran right-hander Julio Teheran has opted out with his minor league deal with the club. The 33-year-old veteran signed with Baltimore earlier this month after opting out of a previous minor league deal with the Cubs, but he’ll now return to free agency in search of a better opportunity elsewhere.
A veteran of 13 seasons in the majors, Teheran made his debut with the Braves back in 2011 but didn’t step into a full time role with the club as a member of their rotation until 2013. The righty went on to spend the next seven seasons in a mid-rotation role with the club, making at least 30 starts in each of those seasons and pitching to a 3.64 ERA (111 ERA+) with a 4.22 FIP overall during that time. That impressive durability allowed him to post the ninth-most innings among all major league pitchers between 2013 and 2019 while starting less games than only Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Max Scherzer within that timeframe.
After the 2019 campaign, Teheran departed the Braves and began to bounce around the league with stops in several different organizations over the past five years. Looking just at his time playing for clubs in the majors, he’s suited up for the Mets, Brewers, Tigers, and Angels since that time, appearing in every major league season during that period except the 2022 campaign when he pitched in the Atlantic League and Mexican League outside of affiliated ball. His results have taken a noticeable step back in recent years as he’s struggled to a 6.10 ERA and nearly matching 6.11 FIP in 110 2/3 innings of work, although his time in Milwaukee did see him post a 4.40 ERA (100 ERA+) in 71 2/3 innings last year.
That decent showing with the Brewers was enough to earn Teheran a minor league deal with Baltimore entering Spring Training, although he returned to free agency and signed with the Mets when the Orioles opted not to include him on their Opening Day roster. Teheran’s stint in Queens lasted just one start (where he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 frames) before he was designated for assignment by the club. He eventually signed on with Chicago as a depth option amid a rash of injuries to the Cubs’ big league rotation, though he never got the call to the majors before opting out with the club.
That’s more or less the same story as his second stint in Baltimore of the year, as he joined the Orioles amid injuries to Dean Kremer, John Means, Tyler Wells, and Kyle Bradish but was nonetheless unable to break onto the big league roster after surrendering an 8.94 ERA in 12 combined starts at the Triple-A level between his time in the Cubs and Orioles organizations. Those atrocious results surely contributed to Baltimore’s decision not to add him to the big league roster, but it’s certainly still possible to imagine the righty attracting enough interest on the open market to earn a spot in another club’s minor league system, where he could serve as a depth option for a rotation-needy club if he can get his results back on track in the minors.
Guess he can’t find anybody who wants him. Has he tried Oakland yet?
He looks cooked, he’s got 45 million in the bag and baseball reference says he has 10 years of service time. He’s got the pension and the career earnings, maybe he should hang them up ar this point…
Mexico calling. $4 million pesos: take it or vamos, amigo.
Might be his best offer.
The article says “in search of a better opportunity elsewhere” but the Orioles did and still do have a open spot in the rotation. He just hasn’t been able to perform competently at even the Triple-a level this season.
The Orioles have Burnes, Rodriguez, Irvin, Suarez, Povich and Kremer as starters. Where’s the opening? You can argue there’s a possible upgrade, but Teheran is not one. He had good starts and awful ones at Norfolk, but his only chance of a call up was another injury, or unlikely struggles by Povich.
That being said there actually are semi-contenders with starter openings.
Semi-contenders might seek out Tehran for some depth, but no way would he be considered for any starter opening considering his results thus far. my money is on him ending on a team like the Angels or White Sox. A team that can risk throwing him out on the mound and see if he sticks.
He was never really even in the conversation for starting depth based on his performance.
He wasn’t commanding anything at Spring Training. Got his release, and tried to latch onto another club’s system, didn’t find any bites. Came back, and still couldn’t control his stuff at Norfolk AAA. He’s getting feedback, just not what he wants to hear
After his unmitigated disaster start, he would have been released anyway.
Agree. He lasted 2 outs in the 1st inning, and gave up 7 runs at AAA. Him opting out may have been a saving face mercy the Os org arranged with him behind the scenes? But it feels like maybe he may call it a career?
As a Braves fan, pack your bags and go home Julio. You are embarrassing yourself!!
Jerry Cavender
Tehran is almost certainly one of the 1000 best baseball players in the world
You, JerryCavender, are almost certainly not one of the 1000 best internet commenters in the world.
Maybe you should quit embarrassing yourself.
Cbeisbol, there are currently 1200 players on major league 40 man rosters not including those who are on 60 day IL’s.
Don’t embarrass yourself by suggesting he is better than 200 of them.
Mr Teheran is done. Some people just remember what he was, Not what he is Now. He does not deserve a
Major league contract nor can he get any AAA hitters out anymore.
If he wants to continue playing, play south of the border. Teams there still hires oldies and formerly goodies.
Heck, Bartolo Colon ended his career there pitching at Age 48.
Marlins and Rockies.
Rockies have Marquez coming back soon. No need for Tehran unless there are multiple injuries. Or one injury and a trade of Cal Quantrill, which they should do but likely won’t since it would make sense.
I didn’t understand why he came back a second time
See Means, Bradish, Kremer and Wells.
I think lefty means, why would the orioles FO even want him back because there has to be better options out there.
because the O’s had zero to lose. non-zero chance he had a brief renaissance. but now that he had a few turns in Norfolk, this is not the way. best of luck Julio.
Who remembers the long discussions on “Is Julio Teheran an ‘Ace’?” that went on several years ago?
Yeah and when there were about three straight years of Teheran trade rumors on here during Atlantas rebuild.
I remember those!! I saw him pitch a lot being a Met fan. He always had number 3 stuff imo. When Terhan was in his prime that was kind of a transitional period in pitching. The end of the workhorse starter who didn’t thrown very hard(with the few exceptions) and got lots of ground balls as opposed to the max effort one time thru the line up,fly ball if they hit it strategy of today. I remember those conversations thinking winning 15 games a year on a good team doesn’t make you an ace.
The Teheran Minor League Tour, coming soon to a ballpark near you!
Wish he was funnier, like Max Parkin.
But all in all, I’d love to see him pitch against the team I was rooting for.
Hes cooked but he can eat innings in Toronto once Kikuchi and Bassitt Are shipped out at the deadline.
How can he eat innings when he can’t get out of the second inning?
This dude is so dumb. Only an idiot would leave the O’s org right now. Especially a starter.
Well he has a 9 era. He isn’t doing well there. Couldn’t hurt to go somewhere else.
Rishi, he did fine there in ST. But sure, three weeks is enough time to embrace Baltimore’s pitching program and see results /s
Well I wasn’t aware of the length of time honestly. As for embracing their program idk how much that’s really necessary for him. It could help. Idk. But he seems like a very intelligent pitcher who understands pitching and knows exactly what he needs to do. The problem just seems to be he can’t afford to miss. He doesn’t have much to work with frankly. His intellect and familiarity are what allow him some degree of potential competence but as far as stuff goes he is basically toast. Understand I’m not saying he couldn’t find a bit of success.
SSS
Adios.
He just got destroyed Friday. His start lasted only 2 outs in the 1st inning and gave up 7 runs. That’s a big part of why his ERA ballooned. But he wasn’t doing that well before that too of course
The Padres should kick the tires on him. Darvish is still not ready to return, Musgrove is still out, Vasquez took a line drive off his right elbow and will be out awhile and the Padres could use him for at least the short term to get to the trade deadline and maybe beyond. They sit four games over.500 and have a playoff spot as of today.
I still remember when their pitching got so thin a few years ago that they actually signed Jake Arrieta and he lasted two games before he imploded and then traded for Rich Hill last year and he was terrible…could Teheran be any worse than those two ?
I think he will be in a Padres uniform before they get back home from Texas on Friday
IF, he could pitch as well as he did in Milwaukee, he might have aa job. Trouble is He has shown no capacity to do that. COOKED and, sadly, a Has been. Kind of Like Dallas Keuchel, who likely has one or two more try’s as a Brewer!
TO SF:You could give him a shot. But unfortunately, your team would be panicking. You guys really played well against Milwaukee. You have a good chance at the Wild Card. Do not Panick with such a move!
Tidy piece of business here
He gives up a lot of home runs now. And that’s at AAA.
Oh no – please tell me it’s not true. How will the O’s survive losing an old
Pitcher with a 9 ERA in AAA.
He will be in Pittsburgh by the end of the week
Of Crochet gets traded, White Sox can grab him. Someone’s gotta eat up innings the rest of the way, it won’t be pretty…
Bomb,bomb,bomb Teheran!
It’s not about being smart or dumb. Teheran just got shellacked at AAA. He gave up 7 runs and didn’t get out of the 1st inning this past Friday. Multiple walks, hits, bases loaded, it was ugly.
The fact that he opts out two days later may mean something as far as his career. I think he may call it a career.
If he doesn’t, then he’s making a mistake