In a bit of a surprise move, the Orioles are reportedly signing former Seattle Mariners Ace “King” Felix Hernandez to a minor league deal.
It’s a minor-league deal that will pay King $1 million if he is on the club, according to Roch.
Hernandez was a shell of his former self the last time we saw him on an MLB mound, when he went 1-8 with a 6.40 ERA in 15 starts for the 2018 M’s. Last year, after signing a similar deal with Atlanta, Hernandez opted out due to COVID-19.
Believe it or not, it’s been 11 years since Hernandez won his “controversial” (but correct) Cy Young award, when he posted a 174 ERA+ over 249.2 IP but had a W-L record of just 13-12. Ah, the days of nerds & traditional media fighting over advanced stats seem so quaint now, don’t they?
The O’s signing yet another former stud who is now well past his prime had #Birdland reminiscing a bit on Twitter…
And then of course some were bringing up this fun moment, which those of us who pine for the “Buckle Up Birds” era will surely remember.
Maybe we’ll have our own King’s (Flag) Court in Baltimore in the 2021 season?
Or, as the cynics would say, is that just where a lot of his pitches will end up?
Hey, the Orioles need pitching. This will be a fun one to watch, even if it’s tough to be optimistic that it will work out. Best-case, Felix shows some flashes of his former self that make him a juicy option for a midseason trade to a contender.
