The Orioles made it official on Friday: Yennier Cano isn't going anywhere, at least not for a while. Baltimore signed the right-hander to a two-year extension worth $7.5 million guaranteed, covering the 2027 and 2028 seasons, with a $10 million club option tacked on for 2029 that can climb another $3 million based on games finished.
The move locks up a guy who'd have been arbitration-eligible for two more years anyway, so on paper it's the Orioles buying stability at a below-market rate. But the real value is in that club option. Mark Feinsand laid out the mechanics of the deal, noting the 2029 option effectively buys out what would have been Cano's first crack at free agency, giving Baltimore control over a key bullpen arm well into his mid-30s.
The Orioles announced a two-year deal with a club option for 2029 with reliever Yennier Cano. Cano would have been arbitration-eligible for two more years, so the club option potentially buys out the first year of his free agency.
For anyone who's watched the Orioles the last few years, this checks out. Cano went from a throw-in piece of the Jorge Lopez trade to a 2023 All-Star, running off 17 consecutive scoreless outings and posting a 2.11 ERA that season while forming one of the best setup tandems in baseball alongside Felix Bautista. He's been up and down since, but Baltimore clearly still views him as a core piece of the relief corps rather than a trade chip to flip.
Feinsand also filled in the salary structure: $2.75 million in 2027 and $4.75 million in 2028, the kind of modest guarantee that lets the Orioles keep spending flexibility elsewhere while still rewarding a reliever who's given them real innings. That escalator on the option, tied to games finished, hints Baltimore could be grooming him for more high-leverage work down the stretch.
Yennier Cano gets $7.5 million guaranteed over 2027-2028, with a $10 million club option for 2029, per source. The option can escalate based on games finished.
None of this is a blockbuster signing, and it isn't supposed to be. It's the Orioles doing what they've done well for a few years now, extending controllable talent before the price tag gets complicated. If Cano keeps racking up games finished the way the front office is betting he will, that $10 million option for 2029 stops looking like a club option and starts looking like a bargain.