Orioles sign reliever Cano to 2-year extension with club option for 2029

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles signed right-handed reliever Yennier Cano to a two-year contract extension for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, with a club option for 2029, the club announced Friday . Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The contract essentially buys out the 32-year-old Cuban right-hander's remaining arbitration years and gives Baltimore the choice to pick him up for an additional season.

“Yennier has been outstanding for us both on and off the field since his arrival in 2022,” Orioles president Mike Elias said in a statement. “He has blossomed into one of the game’s most reliable and consistent relief pitchers. We are proud of all the hard work he has put in alongside our development team and are pleased he and his family will remain in Baltimore."

Cano has been arguably the Orioles' best reliever in 2026, entering Friday with a 2.21 ERA in 48 appearances. Acquired in the 2022 trade that sent righty Jorge López to the Minnesota Twins, Cano earned All-Star honors with the Orioles in 2023 while pitching to a 2.11 ERA in 72 appearances.

Lifetime, his ERA is 3.78 in 268 appearances, all but 10 of those coming with Baltimore.

The deal continues a trend of extending players already on the major league roster since David Rubenstein took over as controlling owner in March of 2024. Most recently, right-handed starter Kyle Bradish received a five-year, $90 million extension covering 2027-2031, announced July 18.

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