Former Twins All-Star pitcher eyeing MLB comeback
A look at a Twins logo at Target Field. Photo taken
8/24/16 by Terry Foote/Wikimedia via CC BY-SA 4.0
After spending the 2023 MLB season on the sidelines, one former All-Star pitcher is trying to cannonball his way back in.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported on Monday that veteran righty Jake Odorizzi is throwing without restrictions and is looking to sign an MLB deal in the coming days. Morosi adds that Odorizzi has thrown off the mound this offseason in front of evaluators from 10 to 12 MLB teams.
Odorizzi, 33, is an 11-year MLB veteran who has pitched for five different teams (Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Houston, and Atlanta). He owns a 3.99 ERA and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings for his career. Odorizzi was also an All-Star during the 2019 season with the Twins and pitched for the Astros during their 2021 AL pennant run.
Of course, Odorizzi is a total wild card these days after missing the entire 2023 campaign recovering from an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his throwing shoulder last April. His numbers when he last pitched of 6-6 with a 4.40 ERA over 22 starts in the 2022 season might be a good idea of what to expect from Odorizzi at this point. But it has been a good offseason for ex-Twins All-Stars as another one who played with Odorizzi just got a comeback lifeline of his own from the Angels.
