The Orioles announced that utilityman Nick Gordon has been signed to a minor league contract. Gordon hit the open market after electing to become a minor league free agent after the season, following an outright off the Marlins’ roster in August.
Injuries and some struggles in the upper minors kept Gordon from making his MLB debut until 2021 and his age-25 season, but as recently as the 2022 season, Gordon hit .272/.316/.427 with nine homers over 443 plate appearances and 136 games with the Twins. While not the heights expected of Gordon as the fifth overall pick of the 2014 draft, it seemed like he’d found a nice niche for himself as a multi-positional weapon, as he saw a lot of playing time in left field, center field, and both middle infield spots that season.
In 2023, however, Gordon got off to a slow start and then fractured his shin on a foul ball in May. He played in a few Triple-A games in September but the injury ended his Major League season after 34 games and a .503 OPS over 93 PA.
This ended up also being the end of Gordon’s tenure in Minnesota, as the Twins dealt him to the Marlins last February for lefty Steven Okert. The change of scenery didn’t help Gordon, as he hit .227/.258/.369 over 275 PA and 95 games, playing primarily in left field with some time in center and at second base. With the Marlins wanting to give more playing time to younger players down the stretch, Gordon was designated for assignment and then outrighted in August.
The Orioles might also have some interest in seeing if Gordon can be a late bloomer at age 29, similar to how the O’s struck gold in revitalizing Ryan O’Hearn’s career in 2023. However, it is more likely Baltimore views Gordon as more of a depth signing to add some veteran experience to the minor league ranks, as the Orioles are already deep in left-handed hitting outfielders and middle infielders.