Vinny Nittoli, a right-handed pitcher, has reached an agreement with the Orioles and will join their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com on X. Earlier, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reported that Nittoli had opted for free agency after being designated for assignment by the Cubs last week and clearing waivers.
Just over a week ago, Nittoli also chose free agency following an outright by the Athletics. He subsequently signed a major league contract with the Cubs but was removed from their roster the next day without playing, as the Cubs promoted Jorge López. Nittoli, 33, has been through numerous transactions recently due to his lack of options and his right to reject outright assignments, having been outrighted previously in his career.
Nittoli started the season with the Athletics on a minor league deal, pitching effectively in Triple-A with a 2.70 ERA over 23 1/3 innings for Sacramento. Despite a high 11% walk rate, he struck out 36% of batters and had a 45.1% ground ball rate. His performance earned him a call-up to the majors, where he allowed just two earned runs in eight innings for the A’s, although he only struck out 15.6% of major league hitters in that small sample. Despite his solid performance, he was soon removed from Oakland’s roster and has been moving between teams since.
For the Orioles, signing Nittoli to a minor league deal carries little risk and provides them a chance to evaluate him closely. Earlier in the year, he showed strong strikeout potential in Triple-A. Although he has had limited major league experience, with just 14 2/3 innings over four seasons, he has posted a 4.19 ERA in 159 Triple-A innings since 2021, with a 29.8% strikeout rate and an 8.3% walk rate, though his 29 home runs allowed have impacted his ERA.
If Nittoli performs well and earns a spot on Baltimore’s roster, his position might still be precarious, as it was with the A’s and Cubs. However, if he remains on the roster by season’s end, the Orioles could retain him for the future since he has less than a year of major league service time.