Remember that dispute between Dontrelle Willis and the Orioles, the one where the Orioles said he walked away unexcused from their Triple-A team and Willis said he left with permission and should have been released?
Well, forget about it.
Willis has agreed to return to the Orioles, his agent confirmed Wednesday. And the team has allowed him to go to extended spring training and build up his innings. Willis had asked to do exactly that, after telling the Orioles he was uncomfortable working out of the bullpen.
It's still far from clear that any of this will matter, because it's still far from clear that Willis will ever be good enough to pitch regularly in the major leagues again. In the four-plus years since he went from the Marlins to the Tigers in the Miguel Cabrera trade, Willis has made just 43 big-league appearances, with a 6.15 ERA and almost two baserunners per inning pitched.
Willis' decision to return was first reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
Dontrelle Willis returns to Orioles organization
The dispute between Dontrelle Willis and the Orioles has been resolved, with the team allowing him to go to extended spring training to build up his innings. Still unresolved is whether Willis, once a 22-game winner with the Marlins, can ever pitch well enough to return to the big leagues.
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