After acquiring right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals for a pair of relievers the Chicago Cubs have added veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles. Kittredge, 35, has posted a 3.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 31 games with the Orioles this season.
The Cubs had interest in signing Kittredge back in the offseason, but he eventually signed a one-year deal in Baltimore for $10 million.
So far in 2025, Kittredge has struck out 32 batters in 31.1 innings of work, posting a 25.4 K%. The right-handed pitcher didn't make his season debut until May 21, after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in March. He had a couple bad appearances in the middle of June, but otherwise is turning in another solid year out of the bullpen, recording a 2.37 ERA over his last 19 innings.
Last year with the St. Louis Cardinals Kittredge ended the season with a 2.80 ERA in 70.2 innings. You have to go back to 2018, to find his only truly awful year in his career as Kittredge has since posted a 2.91 ERA over 263 combined innings.
Kittredge was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. That was the peak of his career as Kittredge had a 1.88 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 71.2 innings.
A very solid add for the Cubs' bullpen that has been struggling during the month of July outside of their top-three relievers. The team definitely needed another reliable arm in there and Kittredge fits the bill. We'll check back in to see who the Cubs sent over to the Orioles later on.
Cubs Grade: B+
Orioles Grade: B
Andrew Kittredge has a good track record and is a major upgrade from Ryan Pressly in the Cubs bullpen. Another veteran presence that can take on a bigger role if needed down the stretch.
The Orioles get a solid prospect, but it's a lottery ticket. Who knows how the 17-year-old shortstop will develop, but getting a top-30 prospect for a rental reliever is good value.
