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Orioles will likely sign Yovani Gallardo and Dexter Fowler
Thursday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the Orioles final free agent push, Kyle Schwarber’s parking lot dinger and Hanley Ramirez’s lost muscle.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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The Orioles have already spent a lot of money this winter -- they can thank Chris Davis for most of that. If they sign both Yovani Gallardo and Dexter Fowler, as it’s expected they will, then they will likely have spent more on free agency than anyone else this offseason. Gallardo and Fowler would also help the O’s move out of the weird spot they’re currently in, where they have spent and spent but aren’t any better than last year, and that’s going to be necessary in a competitive AL East.
It’s expected that Fowler would play right field for the O’s, which would keep Mark Trumbo out of the outfield and leave Adam Jones in center. Fowler’s defense is all over the place in terms of how it’s valued, but a move to right will help him either way, and he’s a better option out there than Trumbo, who should (and would) DH. Adding Fowler would also give the Orioles quite the lineup, as he would join Davis, Jones, Manny Machado, Matt Wieters and a Trumbo who gets to benefit from a homer-friendly park.
Gallardo isn’t the greatest pitcher around, but he’s survived in high-offense environments his entire career, and Baltimore’s rotation is relying far too much on rebounds and breakouts. If they’re to keep pace with the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Rays -- all it takes is for one or two of them to be any good to ruin the O’s season -- then they need the assist Gallardo could give them.
- Kyle Schwarber showed up to spring training early, and that's unfortunate for this car's windshield.
- These are the three teams that don't confuse Grant Brisbee at all.
- There are concerns about MLB's ability to attract a younger fan base. That could change with a few tweaks!
- Jayson Stark spoke with 35 baseball executives for a review of the offseason.
- There was a glut of free agents this winter, and it was expected to drive down the price of some of them. How did it all end up playing out?
- This is why a number of quality free agents still have no home even though spring training is starting.
- The White Sox are almost there, but not quite -- they need a couple more pieces to thrive in the AL Central.
- Hanley Ramirez has lost all the muscle he put on for 2015. Don't worry, the Red Sox told him to.
- Let me tell you how great it is to be able to write "near decapitation" about this Chris Gimenez story instead of "decapitation." This is scary, but thankfully, Gimenez is okay.
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