The Baltimore Orioles acquired right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Orioles Receive Andrew Kittredge For Second Stint With Team
Baltimore’s trade reunited them with a key piece of their bullpen as they seek to reinforce their arm staff following a poor 2025 outing. The team previously traded Kittredge to the Cubs for shortstop prospect Wilfri De La Cruz. The 35-year-old previously signed with the Orioles to a one-year, $10 million contract in 2025.
We have made the following trade: pic.twitter.com/FBIuwyVHVz
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 4, 2025
It’s also the second major move by the team to address their bullpen, the first being the re-signing of right-handed pitcher Rico Garcia. Both moves come in the wake of Baltimore losing closer Felix Bautista for the 2026 season due to injury.
Kittredge Still Has A Lot To Offer
The former all-star, despite reaching 36 next year, still offers a lot of stability for a team in need. Kittredge appeared in 31 games and tossed 31.1 innings, striking out 32 and walking only eight. He surrendered four home runs but pitched to a 1.08 WHIP and won two games as a reliever.
That success continued in Chicago, maintaining similar stats but also registering a jump in strikeouts and a decrease in walks.
Kittredge still pitches at an all-star caliber level as well, including the highest chase percentage among qualified pitchers. His whiff rate sits in the top quarter of all pitchers, and his groundball-to-flyball ratio is nearly 1:1. The downside is that he frequently surrenders hard-hit balls, around 44% of the time.
Andrew Kittredge 2025 https://t.co/BsBkubOHUM pic.twitter.com/YK3AKon48t
— リバーストーン (@BAL_RS_AR35) November 4, 2025
He also ditched his ineffective four-seamer for more of his slider-sinker combo. The slider is Kittredge’s go-to strikeout pitch, registering all but six of his punchouts on that offering. His sinker also limits extra-base hit contact, but it does seem to get enough to bump the batting average to .250.
His only real downside, in a more analytical sense, is a low weak-contact quality of 2.3%.
Where Would He Fit In 2026?
During his 2025 season, Kittredge usually appeared in the seventh inning or later. He threw eight games before the seventh inning, but that was out of 54 appearances across the entire season. Out of 31 games with Baltimore, he appeared before the seventh inning twice.
It’s likely the veteran will reclaim his role as a setup man if the Orioles decide to invest in a closer. However, it can’t be ruled out that Kittredge could be the closer as a cheaper option with the team. It wouldn’t be a terrible option, but it could be risky if Kittredge suddenly regresses from his 2025 form.
The former all-star is best suited for late-game situations and can go a little more than one inning, perhaps four outs. It’s unlikely the team uses him as an opener, as we saw during the postseason with the Cubs.
Main Photo Credits: William Purnell-Imagn Images
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