Kittredge: “I think there's just a lot of excitement for the bullpen in general, the arms that we're going to have down there"

Andrew Kittredge thought that he knew the Orioles from the opposite bullpen, each and every flaw that allowed his team to dominate them. Then, they underwent a dramatic change. Tables and fortunes were spun.

Kittredge spent his first seven seasons with the Rays and registered a 3.65 ERA in 181 games. He made the All-Star team in 2021. And through it all, he witnessed the Orioles gradually become contenders again.

“Spending the majority of my career in that division with the exception of last year, I feel like I’m fairly familiar with the organization and how they do things,” Kittredge said this afternoon in a video call with local media. “It’s been cool watching from a distance to see kind of the turnaround that they’ve made in the last couple years.

“I think it was 2021 when I was in Tampa, we won 18 of 19 against the Orioles, and then two years later they’ve got the best record in the American League. Pretty cool to watch the turnaround that the organization has made and just competing for the American League every year, and hopefully this year we’re competing for the American League again and beyond that.”

The Orioles signed Kittredge, 34, to a one-year contract on Jan. 13 that guarantees $10 million and includes a $9 million option for 2026 and $1 million buyout. He made a career-high 74 appearances with the Cardinals last season and posted a 2.80 ERA in 70 2/3 innings.

The late-inning mix now includes Kittredge, who can serve in a set-up role and also fill in at closer while Félix Bautista returns from 2023 Tommy John surgery.

How he’s deployed isn’t crystal clear following a brief conversation with manager Brandon Hyde. The veteran right-hander is preparing for anything. It's a smart strategy.

“I think there's just a lot of excitement for the bullpen in general, the arms that we're going to have down there,” Kittredge said. “Hopefully, with Bautista being back and healthy from the sounds of it, everything's looking good on that end. So, I think I've always kind of just had the attitude of, ‘Use me where you want to and I'll try to do my best to be ready in any situation,’ and I expect to be in the mix there late in games, but also I'm willing to do whatever is needed.

“I kind of have a little bit of experience all over the map as far as innings, whether it's early, late, in between. But yeah, just really kind of prepared to do whatever.”

Former Orioles starter Kyle Gibson also pitched for the Cardinals last summer and he phoned Kittredge after the contract agreement.

“He reached out, congratulating me on the deal, had nothing but great things to say about the organization,” Kittredge said. “I was excited to hear from someone who’s been here recently, to kind of know that the clubhouse is in a good spot and there’s a strong desire to win here. There’s an expectation to win here. A lot to be really excited about.

“There was familiarity with the East. My wife and I have kind of almost become East Coasters by virtue of being (in Tampa Bay). There was a lot to like, and then the young talent this organization has and the direction they’ve been going is really exciting. At this point in my career, I want to win. I want to contend, and this was a really good opportunity for me to do that.”

Kittredge has put his health issues in the rearview and the Orioles are banking on his durability. He appeared in only 17 games in 2022 and 14 in 2023 due to his ligament-reconstructive elbow surgery.

“Even going back to right after the surgery, I think it was really important for me to get in at the end of ’23 there a little bit,” he said. “I know, I think I only threw, like, 12 or 13 innings or something like that, but that was a huge hurdle, just to get back and know that the arm is going to hold up and I can still do this and then building off that.

“I think that just allowed me to hit the ground running heading into spring training last year, and then was able to finish a full season healthy and felt really good throughout the whole thing. So, as far as I'm concerned, the Tommy John, I feel like, feels behind me, like something that is kind of over and done with and now I'm just back to being a normal pitcher.”

With a pitch mix that’s got him relying more on his slider than a sinker that was a primary weapon in the past.

“I think, honestly, it’s a trust and feel thing that I’ve developed over the years with the slider,” he explained. “Obviously, there’s occasions where I don’t have a good outing with it or whatnot, but I think it’s just a pitch that I just rely on and trust. I trust that it’s going to be there even more so than the sinker, so when in doubt, that’s what I want to get beat with. That’s kind of the thought process with the slider.

“I think they pair really well together and it kind of just depends on a given day which one is feeling better at the time.”