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The Cuban right-handed pitcher Jonathan Torres, 19 years old and hailing from Havana, has agreed to a contract with the Baltimore Orioles during the current international signing period of Major League Baseball. The agreement is pending a routine physical examination before it is finalized.
The information was reported by the baseball journalist Francys Romero, who noted that Torres is expected to sign in the coming days and will try out directly in the Dominican Summer League (DSL), the first level of the minor league system of the Baltimore organization.
Torres's story has an unusual element: he left Cuba about two years ago, and during his adaptation and development process, he transitioned from being a gardener to a pitcher—a positional shift that requires considerable technical and physical work.
Romero described his journey as that of "another player who had to navigate a long path of sacrifice and hard work," a phrase that summarizes the typical journey of Cuban prospects seeking to reach MLB: leaving the island, a training period in the Dominican Republic, showcases for scouts, and finally, signing with an organization.
The photo accompanying the announcement shows Torres wearing the orange uniform of the Orioles at what appears to be the team's academy in the Dominican Republic, where the franchise has its facilities for developing international players.
Torres joins an international signing class for 2026 with the Orioles that already includes several high-profile Cubans: Jose Luis Acevedo (shortstop, $2.3 million), Ariel Roque (outfielder, $1,697,500), Pedro Gomez (outfielder, $1,247,500), Gabriel Rosario (outfielder, $1,047,500), and Jonathan Hechavarría (right-handed pitcher, $337,500). Torres' signing bonus has not been publicly disclosed.
The activity of Baltimore in the Cuban market is not new. In January 2022, the organization signed Cuban César Prieto for $750,000, one of the most notable agreements of the franchise with talent from the island in recent years.
The flow of Cuban baseball players to the Major Leagues remains steady. In the 2025-2026 period, more than 40 Cuban players were signed by MLB teams, a figure that reflects the extent of the talent exodus from the island. Among recent cases are the prospect Jonathan Valle, who agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants in May after spending more than three years in the Dominican Republic, and Cristian Rego, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in April.
Once he passes the physical exam, Torres will have the opportunity to demonstrate in the Dominican Summer League that the decision to convert him back to the mound was the right one.
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