Jair Jurrjens Reportedly Agrees to Deal with Baltimore Orioles

Jair Jurrjens has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the deal is for one year and $1.5 million. Jurrjens can earn up to $4 million total should he earn the incentives.

It's been quite a fall from grace for Jurrjens. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2008. Jurrjens finished the year 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA.

Since then, his career has been a bit up and down. In 2009, he started the most games the major leagues, with 34. He had a stellar ERA (2.60), yet finished only 14-10.

Despite injuries curtailing his 2011 season, Jurrjens managed to make the All-Star team.

He bottomed out in 2012, making only 10 starts. Jurrjens finished with a 3-4 record and whopping 6.89 ERA. Clearly, the Atlanta Braves felt they couldn't do anything with him.

At only 26 years old, Jurrjens is far from washed up as a major league pitcher. He still has plenty of time to get his career back on track. The incentive-laden deal is perfect for a player like him who has a somewhat high ceiling should everything come together.

If he works out well, Jurrjens will only be making $4 million, which is not bad for a reliable starting pitcher. Should the whole thing blow up, the Orioles are only on the hook for $1.5 million.

Orioles management took some risks last year with player acquisitions, and it resulted in a playoff run. In order for Baltimore to remain competitive with the other teams in the A.L. East, these kinds of moves can be the difference between division also-ran and division champion for a time like the Orioles.