In need of starting pitching, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have had “recent, active dialogue” with free agent pitchers Ervin Santana, Bronson Arroyo, and Ubaldo Jimenez. Of the three, Santana and Jimenez would both require the Orioles to give up their #17 pick in the first round of the 2014 draft; Arroyo would not.
The pitching market had drawn to a halt as teams were waiting to see where they and others stood in the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes. Now that the right-hander has signed a seven-year, $155 million deal, the remaining pitchers on the market are expected to find homes soon as we are about three weeks away from the start of spring training, when pitchers and catchers report in for their respective clubs.
The Orioles have had a tough off-season signing free agents, botching two deals: one with free agent reliever Grant Balfour, and another more recently with outfielder Tyler Colvin. Let’s hope their pursuit of a starter goes a little more smoothly.
