The Baltimore Orioles are bringing back right-hander Zach Eflin on a $10 million, one-year contract.
The Orioles acquired Eflin in a trade from Tampa Bay during the 2024 season, and he pitched well down the stretch that year, but he went 6-5 with a 5.93 ERA during an injury-plagued 2025. With the Orioles on their way to a last-place finish, Eflin seemed like a candidate to be traded in July, but just before the deadline he went on the injured list with back trouble, and he was eventually ruled out for the season.
After becoming a free agent, the 31-year-old Eflin is returning to the Orioles. He's set to receive $5 million in 2026, plus a $3 million signing bonus. His deal also includes a $25 million mutual option for 2027 or a $2 million buyout.
Additionally, Eflin's option price and his buyout would each escalate depending on how many starts he makes this coming season: $1 million for 15 starts, $1.5 million for 20 and $2.5 million for 25. Since mutual options are almost never exercised, he could earn up to $15 million for one season.
Baltimore has been active after a disappointing 2025 season, signing slugger Pete Alonso and reliever Ryan Helsley and trading for reliever Andrew Kittredge, outfielder Taylor Ward and right-hander Shane Baz.
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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FILE - Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin delivers during the third inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Monday, July 28, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday commuted to Cheong Wa Dae, the country’s traditional presidential palace, for the first time since taking office in June, more than three years after his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound.
It was the first time a president had commuted to Cheong Wa Dae since May 9, 2022, the final day of former President Moon Jae-in’s term, before Yoon began his presidency working out of a converted Defense Ministry building.
Lee, who won a snap presidential election in June following Yoon’s removal over a brief declaration of martial law in December 2024, spent weeks relocating the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, as he seeks to erase the legacy of his now-jailed predecessor.
Cheong Wa Dae is nestled on the lower slopes of a mountain in northern Seoul, occupying about 250,000 square meters (62 acres) behind the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace. The site, which has undergone several renovations over the decades, has served primarily as the country’s presidential office since the government’s founding following independence from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II.
Arguing that the hillside Cheong Wa Dae was too isolated from the public, Yoon reportedly spent about $40 million relocating the presidential office to several buildings at the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan in central Seoul, dismissing concerns over security and costs and claiming the move would make his presidency more democratic. Following the relocation, he opened parts of Cheong Wa Dae to the public as a tourist site, which drew millions of visitors.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, later triggered the country’s deepest democratic crisis in decades when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, during a standoff with Lee’s liberal Democratic Party, which controlled the legislature and obstructed much of his policy agenda.
Martial law lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a military blockade and voted to lift the measure. Yoon was impeached later that month, removed from office in April by a Constitutional Court ruling and re-arrested in July. He now faces serious criminal charges, including rebellion, which carries a possible life sentence or the death penalty.
Ahead of Lee’s commute, officials raised a presidential flag featuring two phoenixes at Cheong Wa Dae at midnight, marking the palace’s return as the official presidential office. Guards saluted as Lee’s motorcade passed the compound gates, as dozens of supporters nearby waved the South Korean flag and chanted his name. Lee’s office later released a video of him holding a tea meeting with senior aides in one of Cheong Wa Dae’s rooms.
Lee’s office said he will commute from the current presidential residence in another part of Seoul until it is moved back to Cheong Wa Dae at an unspecified date.
A general view of South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House in Seoul Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
A general view of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Lee Jung-hun/Yonhap via AP)
A general view of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Kim Do-hun/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, right, talks with Chief Security of National Policy Kim Yongbeom as they wait of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's arrival at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, left, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center, arrives at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House in Seoul, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 as Lee marked his first official day at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday after three years and seven months since the Yoon Seok-yeol government moved the presidential office to Yongsan in May 2022. (Jeoon Heon-Kyun/Pool Photo via AP)
