It seems that Corbin Burnes isn’t the only former Orioles All-Star to catch the Red Sox’s eye. According to a report from Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Boston has had some discussions with free agent starter John Means. Once a promising hurler, the southpaw’s career has been derailed by injuries over the last three years. He underwent his second Tommy John procedure this past May and will not be able to pitch for most of the 2025 season.
An 11th-round draft pick in 2014, Means was never a highly-ranked prospect. However, he pitched reasonably well throughout the minor leagues and earned a spot on Baltimore’s Opening Day roster in 2019. After three strong appearances from the bullpen, he made his first big league start in mid-April and continued to thrive out of the rotation. He was named an All-Star that summer and finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting that fall.
From 2019-21, Means made 67 appearances (63 starts) pitching to a 3.73 ERA and 4.48 SIERA in 345 1/3 innings. He was rarely dominant, struggling to miss bats or induce groundballs. However, his control was excellent (he walked just 5.1% of batters), and he averaged 5 1/3 innings per start. He may not have been much more than a league-average starting pitcher, but there’s value in league-average, especially for a basement-dwelling club like the Orioles of that era.
Unfortunately, injuries were always a problem for Means. He spent time on the IL in each season from 2019-21 with various arm ailments. Then, things took a turn for the worse in April 2022 when he needed his first Tommy John surgery. His left elbow and forearm continued to give him trouble as he tried to make his way back, and eventually, he needed a second Tommy John in May 2024. For what it’s worth, he was quite effective in the 10 starts he managed to make between 2022-24, giving up just 16 earned runs (2.75 ERA) in 52 1/3 innings. Yet, that thin silver lining pales in comparison to all the cause for concern.
Means is most likely seeking a two-year deal that will allow him to prioritize his rehab for most of 2025. In return, he would, ideally, provide his new club with a full, healthy season in 2026. However, his extensive injury history and lack of upside could prevent any teams from offering him such a two-year guarantee. Thus, he might be looking at something more like the one-year contract Matthew Boyd signed with the Guardians last summer. That deal was technically worth $3.5MM, although it was prorated to $1.75MM because Boyd signed mid-season. Like Means, Boyd was an injury-prone arm coming off Tommy John surgery when he signed with Cleveland.
If Boston is seriously considering Means, it would likely be as a low-risk depth signing with the potential to pay off late in the year. In other words, signing Means would not necessarily take them out of the running for other starting pitchers on the free agent or trade markets if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is serious about continuing to pursue rotation upgrades for the 2025 season.
