Jake Odorizzi, a former All-Star pitcher, is well enough to play again and is seeking a contract.
As Spring Training begins, Jake Odorizzi is allegedly hoping to sign with a new team after missing the entirety of 2023 with the Texas Rangers due to a shoulder injury.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported on Monday afternoon that veteran free agent pitcher Jake Odorizzi is allegedly throwing without limitations and intends to sign with a new team.
Following surgery on his shoulder in April of last year, Odorizzi was sidelined for the entirety of 2023 and never played for the Texas Rangers. The 33-year-old right-hander has played for the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, and Tampa Bay Rays in the past.
Earlier this winter, Odorizzi threw off the mound in front of evaluators from ten to twelve organizations, according to Morosi. His goal is to join a new team “in the coming weeks.”
In the 2008 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Odorizzi in the first round. In December 2010, Jeremy Jeffress, Lorenzo Cain, and Alcides Escobar were traded to the Royals for Zack Greinke.
Two years later, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired Odorizzi, Wil Myers, and Mike Montgomery in exchange for Wade Davis and James Shields.
By 2014, Odorizzi had established himself as a regular starter for the Rays, and he did so until 2017. But Odorizzi was transferred to Minnesota by Tampa Bay before his contract expired.
Odorizzi was a dependable starter for the Twins over the following three seasons, however, injuries kept him to only 13.2 innings during the postponed 2020 campaign. His All-Star participation in 2019 and a three-year, $29.5 million contract with the Astros upon reaching free agency were the results of his success.
Before being transferred to the Braves, Odorizzi made 23 starts for Houston in 2021 and another 12 for the team in 2022. To finish the regular season, Odorizzi made ten more starts in Atlanta. A few months later, the Braves dealt the righty to the Rangers.
