Per the transaction wire, the Baltimore Orioles have signed 26-year-old RHP Connor Cooke to a minor league deal. Cooke was originally a 10th-round pick out of UL-Lafayette back in 2021, logging three seasons as a reliever in the Jays system before undergoing Tommy John surgery in January 2025 and missing the entire 2025 season. He was later released and spent the 2026 season in Indy ball.
Cooke climbed the ranks as a data-darling favorite among many in the industry, emerging as a top 30 prospect for Toronto, featuring a 94-96 mph fastball with a 2,900 rpm slider and changeup with heavy fade. Across 57 innings in 2022, Cooke posted a 31% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate, following that up with a 40.6% strikeout rate across 44 IP in 2023. The numbers heavily regressed in Triple-A in 2024, but after missing a year due to surgery, Cooke was able to find his footing again in Indy ball last year, posting a 2.66 ERA with 28 K/5 BB across 23 IP.
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