The Orioles have agreed to a deal with Cuban left-hander , per of BeisbolFR.com. The contract is pending a physical. Cruz is expected to report to High-A or Double-A once the signing is official, Romero adds. The 25-year-old Cruz held a showcase for big league teams back in November. He pitched in parts of four seasons Jon Gray Jersey in the Cuban National Series Cubas top profe sional league and was a member of Team Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Cla sic (though he only pitched two-thirds of an inning in that tournament). The southpaw has also briefly appeared in the Mexican League, pitching in seven games back in the 2022 season. During his four seasons in Cubas top league, Cruz posted a 4.18 ERA with shaky strikeout and walk rates of 19.1% and 15.4%, respectively. Prior to that offseason showcase, Romero wrote that Cruz had bumped his velocity from the 91-92 mph he averaged during his days pitching in the CNS to 94-95 mph. Cruzs age and previous experience in CNS make him eligible to sign as a profe sional rather than an amateur. That doesnt mean hes required to sign a major league deal, however. In all likelihood, hes signing a minor league pact for a yet-unknown bonus. By all accounts, Cruz isnt an especially high-profile prospect, though that hardly means he cant contribute at the big league level. Plenty of players who signed as international prospects and received middling bonuses have developed into major leaguers. Given his age, prior experience, the fact that he was eligible to sign as a profe sional and the fact that he could potentially go right to Double-A, Cruz is a bit more notable than many shot-in-the-dark international signings. Its hardly likely that he pitches for the Orioles later this season, but its also not entirely out of the realm of po sibility, especially given the state of Baltimores pitching staff at the moment. Wyatt Langford Jersey