The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms on a 2027 minor-league contract with 32-year-old right-handed pitcher Jackson Rees, via the MLB transaction log.
The deal was reported alongside a similar pact for right-hander Gerald Ogando.
Rees, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound reliever from Aliso Viejo, California, has never appeared in a major-league game.
He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Hawaii in 2018 after going undrafted following a college career that included time at Saddleback College.
His best professional season came in 2019, when he posted a 0.73 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings across two Class A levels and earned MiLB recognition as one of the top relief pitchers in the minors.
Injuries and inconsistency followed. Rees spent parts of several seasons in Toronto’s system, including time at Triple-A Buffalo, before being released in 2024. He later pitched independently and, in 2026, found success with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League.
In 24 innings there, he recorded a 2.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, four saves, and 26 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .205 batting average. Those numbers also earned him a winter-ball contract with the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League.
For Baltimore, the signing is a low-risk addition of organizational pitching depth as the club prepares for 2027.
The Orioles finished 79-82 in 2026 and sit in a competitive American League East. Front offices routinely stock minor-league rosters with veterans who can eat innings, mentor younger arms, or provide emergency depth if injuries strike.
Rees’ recent strikeout rate and ability to miss bats in Mexico give him a chance to compete for a bullpen role at Norfolk or even a spring-training look.
The contract does not include a major-league invitation, according to the initial report. Rees will report to minor-league camp next spring and try to work his way onto the 40-man roster or earn a midseason promotion.
At 32, he is older than the typical prospect, but organizations continue to value experienced arms who can throw strikes and handle high-leverage situations in the minors.
Rees’s path—from undrafted college pitcher to MiLBY award winner, through injuries and independent ball, to a Mexican League resurgence—illustrates the persistence required to stay in professional baseball.
Whether that journey ends with a cup of coffee in Baltimore remains to be seen, but the Orioles have given him another opportunity to prove he belongs.
