The starting rotation of the Baltimore Orioles is officially one step closer to respectability.
According to a report by Jon Heyman of MLB Network on Saturday, the team has reached an agreement with free agent righthander Yovani Gallardo on a three-year, $35 million deal.
Gallardo, orioles have a deal. $35M, 3 yrs
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 20, 2016
Negotiations between the two sides had dragged out for quite some time, but now the best pitcher left on the market is officially an Oriole.
The 29-year-old Gallardo was a quality starter for many years in Milwaukee, making the All-Star team in 2010. However, he began to show signs of decline with the Rangers last season in terms of both whiff rate and velocity.
While the Orioles will also have to surrender their first-round draft pick next June as a result of this signing, Gallardo is nevertheless a valuable get for a rotation that ranked 25th in ERA and 22nd in batting average against in 2015 (per ESPN).
Image Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
