UPDATE:
There's hope to wrap up Gallardo today for O's. Still debating if it's 3 yrs or 3 plus option. Once done, will focus on bat
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 12, 2016
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UPDATE: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Orioles are also interested in outfielder Dexter Fowler, while FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal adds they also like Pedro Alvarez and Jay Bruce.
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UPDATE:
It's expected that if and when the Orioles' deal with Yovani Gallardo is finished, it'll be a 3-year deal in the range of $40-$45m
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 10, 2016
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Rumors from earlier this week indicated the Baltimore Orioles were still considering signing free-agent starter Yovani Gallardo. It appears as if talks between the two sides are intensifying.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Orioles are "making progress" on Gallardo. Jon Heyman then added the two sides are "moving close to a deal" and a three-year pact is being discussed.
Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com also confirmed both reports
Baltimore has long been linked to Gallardo in rumors, but it was said the club was reluctant to surrender the No. 14 overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft since the right-hander rejected the Texas Rangers' qualifying offer. They've been flip-flopping on that idea, as they revisited signing Gallardo this week and were "checking his medicals again and weighing the pros and cons," Kubatko reported.
Rosenthal also reported last week that the O's were still interested in Gallardo despite it costing them the coveted draft pick. Yesterday we talked about how the whole scenario was pretty much a toss up for the Orioles since they have one of the worst starting rotations and farm systems in the MLB.
(It could perhaps be more imperative that they add an established starter because they made a number of signings and trades that suggest they're ready to compete in the near future.)
"The pick, sources say, remains an issue for the Orioles, who have not chosen higher than No. 22 in the past three drafts," Rosenthal wrote. "But the price for Gallardo could drop to a point where the O's would believe that signing him would make sense."
Upon free agency, MLB experts predicted Gallardo would land a four- or five-year deal between $50-$75 million. However, now that he's still unsigned this late in the offseason, it's possible he signs for considerably less, and that could be indicative of his talks with the Orioles since they don't have a surplus of funds this offseason after making a number of big moves (Chris Davis, Darren O'Day, Matt Wieters and trade for Mark Trumbo).
Still, the O's need to replace the presence of starter Wei-Yin Chen, who signed with the Miami Marlins earlier this offseason.
Gallardo, who turns 30 this month, had a career year in 2015 and finished 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 33 starts (184-1/3 innings).
Stay tuned for updates on this development.
