John Means's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports, free-agent pitcher John Means (elbow) is not expected to sign a contract for the 2025 season anytime soon. The left-hander underwent his second Tommy John surgery last June, and according to Kubatko, the industry perception is that Means will not find a suitor until much later in the offseason. Kubatko noted that the Orioles have not closed the door on a potential reunion. Last summer, the southpaw logged just 20 2/3 innings before being shut down. However, he was quite productive, posting a 2.61 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He struck out 16 batters but showed elite command with a near-perfect 2.6% walk rate. In 2023, Means also logged just 23 frames and held a similar 2.66 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his progress, but he will likely not return to the mound until late in the 2025 season.

A day after landing left-hander Garrett Crochet, the Boston Red Sox are apparently still looking for pitching. They've been linked to the Mariners with intentions of acquiring one of their rotation pieces, presumably right-hander Luis Castillo, but have also reportedly been in talks with former Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow). The 31-year-old was an All-Star in 2019 and was second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season. However, it has been a challenge for him to stay healthy in recent years. From 2022 through 2024, the lefty has pitched a total of 52 1/3 innings after two Tommy John surgeries derailed those campaigns. Means had the second surgery in June 2024, so the southpaw likely won't be available until the second half of the 2025 season. Whenever he does make it back, with a career K/9 of just 7.5, he'd likely only help in other areas like ERA and WHIP for fantasy managers.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (elbow) underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career on Monday, and his second such operation in two years. The recovery timeline is 12 to 18 months, meaning that Means will miss the rest of this season and at least half of 2025. The 31-year-old southpaw is set to be a free agent after the 2024 campaign, so it's a really bad time for him to have another elbow reconstruction. His first Tommy John surgery came in April of 2022. Given the lengthy rehab he has in front of him, Means is likely to remain on the free-agent market for a while before interested teams take a chance on him for 2025 and beyond. Means was a first-time All-Star back in 2019, but the elbow injuries continue to mount and he's made just 10 starts for Baltimore since the start of the 2022 season.