The Orioles are on the verge of signing their first free agent in the Mike Elias era, as the club agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Nate Karns on Thursday, MLB.com has learned. The agreement is worth $800,000 in salary, with up to $200,000 in incentives, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The club has not confirmed the deal.

The 31-year-old Karns spent last season recovering from surgery he underwent in July 2017 to address thoracic outlet syndrome in his pitching arm. In '17, Karns went 2-2 with a 4.17 ERA in nine outings (eight starts), with 51 strikeouts and 13 walks over 45 1/3 innings.

Karns was selected in the 12th round of the 2009 Draft by Washington, and he spent parts of his first four big league seasons with the Nationals, Rays and Mariners. He was dealt to Kansas City in a trade that sent Jarrod Dyson to Seattle. Karns is 16-11 in his career, with a 4.37 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 310 2/3 innings.

Karns will be a rotational piece on the back end for a club with question marks surrounding its starting pitching -- particularly if Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb become trade chips as the season progresses. Karns is in his second year of arbitration eligibility, which could make him a valuable piece for Baltimore should he prove to be capable and durable. He earned $1.375 million last year with Kansas City.