The Orioles have signed right-hander Jose Espada to a minor league contract, per a report from Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball.
Espada, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2015. He worked his way through Toronto’s minor league system until he was plucked from the organization by the Red Sox in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft prior to the 2021 season. He pitched well for Boston’s High-A affiliate but departed for minor league free agency after the season, at which point he signed with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association. Espada pitched to a 3.61 ERA in eight starts for the Milkmen before he was scooped up by the Padres partway through the 2022 season.
The right-hander excelled at High-A in San Diego and went on to debut at Double-A the following year. After 64 innings of 2.81 ERA ball at the level, Espada was promoted to Triple-A. He continued to pitch well for the club’s affiliate in El Paso even despite the difficult offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, and was rewarded with his big league debut when he threw a scoreless inning for the club in late September. He departed affiliated ball for a second time over the offseason, this time signing with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows in Japan. He posted a 5.00 ERA in 27 innings of work for the Swallows last year and returned stateside in 2025 on fresh minor league pact with the Padres.
In the months since then, Espada has posted a 3.38 ERA in 37 1/3 innings of work across 29 appearances split between the Double- and Triple-A levels. Espada was released by the Padres organization last week, however, and now has signed on with a new club in Baltimore. He struck out 37.1% of his opponents with San Diego’s affiliates this year, but walked 12.2%. He’ll now get the opportunity to serve as non-roster depth in the Orioles system and attempt to prove himself worthy of another opportunity in the big leagues, which could be easier to come by in Baltimore if the Orioles continue selling bullpen pieces after already parting ways with Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto.