Baltimore Orioles: Chris Tillman Enters Free Agency
Former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman decides to become a free agent and officially leaves the Orioles organization.
After a steep decline in production on the mound, Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Chris Tillman has officially become a free agent.
Per MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko, Tillman elected to decline the Orioles offer to pitch at Triple-A Norfolk after two straight years of poor pitching production. As a result, Tillman enters free agency after 10 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.
The latest Orioles news on Tillman comes after he cleared waivers as expected due to his $3MM guaranteed contract. Therefore, the Orioles are subject to the cash owed to Tillman but will save money if another team decides to give him the league-minimum MLB contract.
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Despite his devotion to the Orioles organization throughout the past decade, Tillman will attempt to begin a new chapter of his career with a different organization.
Tillman joined the Orioles before the start of the 2008 season when the Seattle Mariners traded him, Adam Jones and reliever George Sherrill for starting pitcher Erik Bedard. The Orioles unquestionably received the better part of the trade.
Tillman put together four consecutive seasons of at least 30 starts and 11 wins including two 16-win seasons in 2013 and 2016. His best season came in 2013 when Tillman went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA and earned the lone All-Star appearance of his career.
After a shoulder injury hampered the Orioles starting pitcher during 2016, Tillman recorded just two wins in 26 starts in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 19 starts in 2017, Tillman owned a 1-7 record with a 7.84 ERA and allowed 24 home runs.
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The Orioles brought back Tillman over the offseason with hopes of a revived pitcher, but the results were merely identical to the prior season. Tillman made seven starts and delivered the Orioles with an ugly 1-5 record and lofty 10.46 ERA in what would be his last season in Baltimore.