The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly closing in on a deal with free agent starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported that the two sides were close, though ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported that, while there is momentum toward a deal, the two sides still need to tweak some things before it’s done.
Gallardo would essentially be a cheap means of replacing the departed Wei-Yin Chen in the rotation for the Orioles, who are coming off an 81-81 season. He was good for Texas in 2015, posting a 3.42 ERA, but some of his underlying numbers are worrisome – his strikeouts per nine – once regularly over 9 during his prime years with Milwaukee – dropped to 5.9, and his WHIP was a career high 1.416, meaning he was allowing more baserunners than ever before. As Gallardo received a qualifying offer from Texas, the Orioles would lose the 14th pick in the 2016 draft if they did sign him.
The Orioles have spent heavily during the offseason, though most of the money they’ve spent went toward retaining Chris Davis. Baltimore has also been linked with Andrew Cashner as far as pitchers go, and Gallardo also had rumored interest from the Rockies.
