The Baltimore Orioles have added right-handed pitcher Connor Cooke on a minor-league contract, according to the MiLB transaction log.
The 26-year-old was subsequently assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. The move gives the Orioles a familiar profile of arm depth as they continue building out their organization following the 2026 season.
Cooke, a native of Sulphur, Louisiana, was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
He signed for a modest bonus and quickly established himself as a high-velocity reliever with swing-and-miss potential. Standing 6-foot-1 and listed at 203 pounds, he has been used almost exclusively in relief throughout his professional career.
His minor-league track record is defined by strikeouts. Across 101 appearances and 138 innings in the Blue Jays system from 2021 through 2024, Cooke recorded 193 strikeouts.
That works out to roughly 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings for his career.
The peak came in 2023, when he fanned 80 batters in 44⅓ innings across High-A, Double-A, and a brief Triple-A stint, including stretches with strikeout rates north of 40 percent.
Scouting reports from that period highlighted a fastball that reached the upper 90s, a sharp slider, and solid athleticism.
Control has been a more inconsistent part of the profile.
Cooke’s walk rates climbed at the higher levels, particularly during his 2024 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he posted a 4.55 ERA over 31⅔ innings with 30 strikeouts but also 28 walks.
He then missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, an injury that cost him a full season and led to his release by the Blue Jays organization in late March 2026.
The Orioles’ decision to sign him now is a classic low-cost depth acquisition. At 26 and coming off major elbow surgery, Cooke is no longer a prospect in the traditional sense, but he brings a proven ability to generate swings and misses when healthy.
Norfolk gives him a clear path to regain form in a competitive Triple-A environment, with the possibility of competing for a big-league bullpen spot if he shows improved command and full recovery.
For Baltimore, the addition fits a familiar pattern of scooping up interesting arms who have been released or gone unclaimed elsewhere. Cooke’s career strikeout numbers suggest the stuff is still there.
Whether the control returns after surgery will determine if he becomes more than organizational depth. For now, the Orioles have secured a pitcher who has already proven he can miss bats at multiple levels of the minors.
