Sarasota, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Baltimore Orioles made it official on Tuesday and signed two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Santana last pitched in the majors with the New York Mets in August 2012 and spent the 2013 season recovering from shoulder surgery performed in April. He needed to have a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder repaired for the second time after experiencing weakness during spring training last March.
The veteran lefty, who turns 35 later this month, first sat out the entire 2011 season after a similar injury in September 2010. He returned for the start of the 2012 campaign and made 21 starts for the Mets, posting a record of 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA.
Santana threw the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, 2012, needing 134 pitches to accomplish the feat. He wasn't the same afterward, with a mark of just 3-7 and an 8.27 ERA over his next 10 starts. Battling ankle, back and shoulder issues, the Mets shut him down for good in mid-August.
Following his shoulder problems from last year, the Mets decided not to pick up his contract option for 2014.
Since arriving in the majors during the 2000 season with Minnesota, the native of Venezuela has compiled a 139-78 record and 3.20 ERA in 360 appearances (284 starts). He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2004 and '06 for the Twins, while finishing third in NL voting two years later in his first season for New York.
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