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Monday, February 22, 2016

Columns:  Orioles' deal with right-hander Yovani Gallardo 'says a lot about the commitment to winning' The Sun 2/21  Addition of Yovani Gallardo will force Orioles to do some roster math The Sun 2/21  Orioles' right-hander-heavy rotation 'doesn't really bother' The Sun 2/21  Orioles notebook: Jason Garcia's second big league camp offers club more possibilities The Sun 2/20  Orioles' Darren O'Day on Chris Davis' return, preseason predictions, and more The Sun 2/20  Orioles bullpen candidate Jeff Beliveau says his shoulder rehab is all but complete The Sun 2/20  O's look forward to playing alongside Gallardo MLB.com 2/21  Fowler could be next for determined O's MLB.com 2/21  O's add veteran Gallardo on 3-year deal MLB.com 2/21  In tough AL East, don't count out O's MLB.com 2/20  O'Day to help guide Bundy in O's bullpen MLB.com 2/20  No restrictions, but Beliveau taking it slow MLB.com 2/20  Bundy, Harvey keeping eyes on Majors in '16 MLB.com 2/19  McFarland says he isn't wondering how Gallardo's signing impacts him MASNsports.com 2/22  Wrapping up the third day of workouts MASNsports.com 2/21  More on Gallardo, plus today's side sessions MASNsports.com 2/21  Players react to Gallardo deal MASNsports.com 2/21  Notes on Tillman, Navarro, Gallardo and more MASNsports.com 2/21  Orioles reach agreement with Yovani Gallardo (updated) MASNsports.com 2/20  Wrapping up the second day of workouts (with photos) MASNsports.com 2/20  Dan Duquette: "We have a lot more work to do" MASNsports.com 2/20  O'Day on mentoring Bundy, Davis' return and expectations for 2016 MASNsports.com 2/20  Ubaldo Jimenez: "I know I can do better" MASNsports.com 2/20  Wrapping up the first workout MASNsports.com 2/19  Orioles complete their first workout MASNsports.com 2/19  Ubaldo Jimenez can offer advice to any pitcher who signs late MASNsports.com 2/19  None left: O's rotation will be without a southpaw MASNsports.com 2/22  The Gallardo agreement: Its impact on draft picks and other notes MASNsports.com 2/21  When it comes to starting , do some teams prefer quantity over quality? MASNsports.com 2/20  A few notes on the Orioles' agreement with pitcher Yovani Gallardo MASNsports.com 2/20  A look at the Orioles' minor league early camp roster MASNsports.com 2/19  Yovani Gallardo, Orioles agree to 3-year, $35M contract ESPN.com 2/21  Redmond had a good excuse for being late to camp CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/22  Showalter knows Gallardo move has implications CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/21  Beliveau hoping to complete comeback in Orioles camp CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/21  Orioles excited about adding Gallardo to mix CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/21  Orioles reach agreement with Gallardo on three-year deal CSN Mid-Atlantic 2/20  Reports: Orioles Plug Rotation Hole, Sign Right-Hander Yovani Gallardo PressBoxOnline.com 2/20  Orioles Relief Pitcher T.J. McFarland Is Ready To Face Actual Hitters CBS Baltimore 2/22  Orioles Reportedly Sign Gallardo To 3-Year, $35M Contract CBS Baltimore 2/20  Best Of The Scott Garceau Show Week Of 02-15-16 CBS Baltimore 2/19  Report: Orioles agree to sign Yovani Gallardo CBSSports.com 2/20  Orioles, RHP Yovani Gallardo agree to 3-year, $35M contract FOXSports.com 2/20  Spring training offers bargain Sarasota Herald-Tribune 2/20  "Play ball!" Fans, and tourism officials are pleased the Orioles are back MySunCoast.com 2/19

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-yovani-gallardo-0222-20160221- story.html

Orioles' deal with right-hander Yovani Gallardo 'says a lot about the commitment to winning'

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun February 21, 2016

News of the Orioles' pending addition of right-hander Yovani Gallardo — and the front office's message that their unprecedented spending would continue into spring training — was welcomed inside the club's clubhouse Sunday morning.

After a lengthy negotiation process, Gallardo agreed to terms Saturday on a three-year deal that will guarantee him $35 million. He is expected to arrive at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Monday or Tuesday to take his club physical, which he must pass before the deal is finalized.

"It's letting all of us know that the front office is all in, too," said shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is entering the second year of a three-year, $40 million extension. "Everybody is all in, so it's good. It's good to be a player here. That's why I wanted to stay back, because I felt they were going to do everything they possibly could to make this team as good as possible, and that's what they're doing."

The Orioles now have invested nearly $250 million this offseason in free-agent contracts. Most of that comes from Chris Davis' club-record seven-year, $161 million deal, but the team also retained reliever Darren O'Day on a four-year, $31 million deal and with a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer. The team also ventured into the international free-agent market by signing outfielder Hyun Soo Kim to a two-year, $7million deal.

With Gallardo, the Orioles' payroll is nearing $150 million, passing last year's record payroll of about $119 million.

"I think it says a lot about the commitment to winning," Wieters said. "We were able to get a lot of guys back from last year's team who we didn't know would be back. And to be able to add on top of that definitely lets you know that ownership is ready to win now, which [creates] a great feeling being in the clubhouse."

The Orioles had to forfeit their first-round draft pick (14th overall) to sign Gallardo, who required draft-pick compensation after declining the ' qualifying offer. And even after adding Gallardo, the Orioles might not be done spending. The team still is pursuing outfielder , who also is tied to draft-pick compensation and would cost the Orioles their second pick (28th overall).

The addition of Gallardo, who turns 30 Saturday, upgrades the Orioles' starting rotation — a unit that posted a 4.53 ERA last year, second worst in the American League — and squashes any rotation competition. The team now has its starting five complete: , Ubaldo Jimenez, , Miguel Gonzalez and Gallardo, all right-handers.

"Awesome,'' Tillman said. "I've seen nothing but good things from this guy and heard nothing but great things about this guy, so I don't see any problem with it. I'm all in. I like it."

Tillman said Gallardo, a nine-year major league veteran, brings an added measure of stability and experience to a rotation that struggled to pitch enough innings last year. Over the past seven years, Gallardo averaged 13 wins, 32 starts and 191 innings while posting a 3.69 ERA.

"Anytime you have a guy like that, it helps the whole group," Tillman said. "I see only positives coming from it. … I know he does the job and does the job well. We've got a couple guys who have been around him, and I've heard nothing but great things. It's exciting, it really is. I found out from other players who texted me. I think they're excited. We are all excited."

Gausman, who has yet to pitch a full season in the rotation, said having another experienced starter around will help him do that this year.

"To have a guy who's kind of been there and done that, season after season, is only going to make us better," Gausman said. "I think it makes our rotation a lot better. It gives also us a bunch of different looks. He's a real over-the-top guy, good breaking ball, real good . I think it will play well in Camden Yards."

Hardy was a teammate of Gallardo's with the during Gallardo's first three big league seasons, and as the Orioles await the completion of their contract with the veteran right-hander, Hardy is excited to be reunited.

"He's an awesome guy," Hardy said of Gallardo, who was his teammate from 2007-09. "Good pitcher. Obviously, you guys can see his numbers. He's only had one losing season in, what is it, nine years? Great guy, great teammate. He'll fit right in."

Wieters said Gallardo has impressed him as an opposing pitcher, and he's looking forward to being his battery mate.

"He's proven, year in and year out, he's going to be able to compete and give you a chance to win games," Wieters said. "From watching from the other side, watching him on the mound, I love the guy's mentality on the mound and how he goes after it. He's as consistent a starter as there's been. Not only does it help our staff because he's a great pitcher, it also makes the staff that much deeper and everybody feed off each other."

Jimenez dueled against Gallardo for several years in the National League — Jimenez came up with the , and Gallardo spent his first eight years with Milwaukee — and pitched against him in Triple-A. Jimenez said he's very familiar with Gallardo and believes he'll be a strong addition to the team, especially in interleague play.

"I know him a little bit," Jimenez said. "He's a great guy, a great competitor. He's going to go out there and try to do everything to win his game. Especially if we play against the National League, they better be careful, because he can make his own runs" at the plate.

The Orioles certainly are ready for Gallardo's arrival. Ever since they began negotiating with Gallardo in November, they've been preparing for his addition.

"I've looked at it ever since we thought it had a chance," manager Buck Showalter said. "You have to. You have to get ahead of it. We've already pulled up all our guys' and the potential guys' numbers versus opponents we face in April and against our division. We've got all of that. You could probably look at that and see where it might work. We do get to play with that in April before rain and a lot of other things get in the way. But as far as those things, I think that's to be determined."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-addition-of-yovani-gallardo-will-force- orioles-to-do-some-roster-math-20160221-story.html

Addition of Yovani Gallardo will force Orioles to do some roster math

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun February 21, 2016

The Orioles’ decision to add veteran starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo to the starting rotation and forfeit a first-round draft choice was a difficult one. The pending decision to subtract a player from the 40-man roster to make room for him might be even tougher.

Manager Buck Showalter acknowledged that Sunday, but no one wants to speculate about his next move until Gallardo passes his physical and is officially activated.

There have been times when the Orioles’ talent pool was so shallow that there were seemingly obvious choices all over the roster. That is not the case now. The roster cut will be a painful one unless executive vice president Dan Duquette makes some kind of deal to open a space.

“The razor’s got a little sting," Showalter said. “The knife’s got a little sting now. … Dan asked me to poll around the coaches in the meeting in the morning, which we’ve done the last couple of days. I’ve got what Dan’s thinking. We’re all looking at the same factors in it.”

Since the Orioles have 22 pitchers on their 40-man roster, Gallardo seems likely to knock another pitcher off the team. Showalter said that’s not necessarily the case.

“I don’t think it means it’s going to be a pitcher,” he said. “Who knows? We could be having the same thing again.”

That was just the latest veiled reference to the possibility that the Orioles will sign free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler and force another difficult roster move. Either way, it might not bode well for designated hitter candidate Jimmy Paredes.

Paredes was the surprise of the season’s first half last year, a switch hitter who batted in the mid- 300s and, for a brief moment, led the American League in batting average. He could not sustain that down the stretch and finished the season with a .310 on-base percentage. He’s also a defensive liability.

The roster decision will be made after Gallardo passes his physical and signs his contract, which could happen as soon as Tuesday.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-righthanderheavy-rotation-doesnt- really-bother-buck-showalter-20160221-story.html

Orioles' right-hander-heavy rotation 'doesn't really bother' Buck Showalter

By Peter Schmuck / The Baltimore Sun February 21, 2016

If everyone stays healthy, the Orioles will enter the regular season with an all-right-handed starting rotation, which is not an ideal situation for a team that plays in the shadow of the flag court at Camden Yards.

Manager Buck Showalter, however, disputed that notion Sunday.

“That part of it doesn’t really bother me," he said. “I've never really understood why I have to have this many left-handed hitters in it. Because it does what? What does it do for you? If it’s your ballpark, that’s one thing. … Our park is pretty [even] — the right-left stuff, I really mean that, not because we potentially don't have one. I just want good starters. If they are right- handed, so be it.”

So if you have only right-handed starters, is it imperative to have a left-handed long reliever in the bullpen?

“On paper, it should be left-handed, but who knows?” Showalter said. “You know you’ve got your closer is left-handed, so most of the people in the lineup are going to be left-handed. That’s one of the advantages of having a left-handed closer, is that most of the pinch hitters and everyone off the bench is left-handed. There’s not that many right-handed pinch hitters coming off the bench in the American League East unless they’ve got a day off or something else is happening. Most of those guys are cut from a different cloth.”

Matusz fine with bullpen role: Left-handed reliever likely will get stretched out again this spring, but offseason speculation that he might get a chance to audition for a starting job probably has become moot.

He said over the weekend that he’s fine with that, though he still hopes that he’ll someday get a chance to be a starter again.

“Absolutely, that's something I love doing," he said. “I love pitching out of the bullpen and I love starting. Would I love to start again some day? Absolutely, but for me, [the goal] is to be ready to help this team as much as I can. I'm open to any decision that's made.”

Around the horn: Mark Trumbo reported to camp Sunday, as did Orioles minor league Player of the Year Trey Mancini. This offseason was a busy one for Mancini, who completed the final six credits he needed to get his political-science degree from Notre Dame. … Nonroster right- hander Todd Redmond missed his third day of camp, including his second scheduled bullpen session, with a family situation but is expected to return soon.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-jason-garcias-second-big-league-camp- offers-orioles-more-possibilities-20160220-story.html

Orioles notebook: Jason Garcia's second big league camp offers club more possibilities

By Ed Encina / The Baltimore Sun February 20, 2016

Jason Garcia’s second big league camp will be much different than his first.

After selecting Garcia in the before last season, the Orioles had to figure out a way to carry Garcia, who hadn’t previously pitched above Single-A. Now, the team has the freedom to send Garcia to the minors instead of forcing him to develop at the major league level.

“He’s got a good arm,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Saturday after Garcia threw his first bullpen session of the spring. “We said 100 times last year, if we can get through the year we’re going to like having this guy in our organization next year. Not that we didn’t last year. He pitched like one of the guys for periods last year. I was glad where he ended up the end of the year. I would have signed up for that. He has a chance to be pretty good.”

Garcia, 23, opened last season with a 5.93 ERA in his first eight appearances before going on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. He proceeded to post a 2.81 ERA in 13 appearances after his return from injury.

“I saw it the last two months of the season,” Showalter said. “We all saw it. He knows he belongs. He can do this. He might even do it this year in April. Who knows? This guy’s competing for a spot. It’s just about gaining trust in him.”

Even though Garcia is competing for a bullpen spot this spring, Showalter said the toughest decision is determining whether his long-term future is as a starter or a reliever.

“[It’s] whether you put him in as a reliever and he throws two to three innings every third day or do you start him with the four days and the work day?” Showalter said. “Then you run into some inning issues if you start him, which you can control. That’s provided he doesn’t make this club. I expect him to have a good spring. I never tell the guys I expect to have a bad spring.”

Around the horn

Free-agent right-hander , who is returning from hip surgery, has yet to conduct any private workouts for clubs, but the Orioles remain among the teams monitoring the two-time Cy Young Award winner, according to sources. “We haven’t seen him yet,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said. … Showalter said he noticed that right-hander had a higher arm slot during his bullpen session Saturday. “He’s higher than he was,” Showalter said. “It’s a good sign. His arm action’s higher. He’s one of those guys that when they warm up on the side, it’s not the same delivery as when they get on a mound and throw downhill. ... [Bullpen Dom Chiti] saw the same thing. He’s going to be a little higher, which is a good indicator.” … Right-hander Todd Redmond missed his second day of camp Saturday because of a family situation. Showalter said he expects him to report for Sunday’s workout. ... Center Fielder is expected to arrive at camp Sunday, Showalter said. … Outfielder Joey Rickard, the club's Rule 5 pick, reported to camp Saturday. … More than approximately 1,000 fans attended the Orioles’ SpringFest event during Saturday’s workout at the Ed Smith Stadium facility, the club announced.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-reliever-darren-oday-on-chris- davis-return-offseason-moves-preseason-predictions-and-dylan-b-20160220-story.html

Orioles' Darren O'Day on Chris Davis' return, preseason predictions, Dylan Bundy and more

By Ed Encina / The Baltimore Sun February 20, 2016

Orioles reliever Darren O’Day couldn’t predict back in October that he’d be back in Sarasota this spring, or that the club would compile a record payroll and retain key free agents Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and himself.

But as spring training opens, the Orioles setup man is around a lot of familiar faces.

“Frankly, no,” O’Day said Saturday when asked if he thought at the end of the season that all three would be back. “I’d be surprised. There’s quality players and quality men [here]. There’s a lot to like about this team and the players they’ve assembled, so it is surprising a little bit, but obviously it’s a really nice pleasant surprise. Personally, I couldn’t be happier to be back, and I hope I speak for the other guys.”

O’Day signed a four-year, $31 million deal in December – the largest free-agent deal handed out to a reliever in club history – and back then he said he’d lobby for Davis to return, even growing a mustache to match Davis’ midseason lip fur. Davis signed a club-record seven-year, $161 million deal last month.

“Ultimately, I don’t think it was the mustache,” O’Day said. “There are a lot of good reasons to come back here. … It was more so like comparing notes. … With Chris, he already knew what was here, the guys here, the group, the environment we come to work in every day, so it wasn’t so much telling him what that would be like. It was more so just reminding him of the stuff he had done here. It was more so talking to a friend — and growing a mustache.”

Even though the Orioles have spent nearly $215 million in free agency this offseason mainly to keep the club intact – their only key loss was left-hander Wei-Yin Chen – and are still pursuing right-hander Yovani Gallardo and outfielder Dexter Fowler.

“I think they showed a commitment to winning, really, to putting a good team on the field by signing some of these guys who were pretty expensive,” O’Day said. “It’s really challenging to build a team on a low-dollar budget to win games, so to play at this level, you’ve got to spend some money. Our team did. They’re always pretty creative with these late-season signings. We had some pretty good ones a couple years ago, so we’ll see if they can pull some magic again.”

But prognosticators are still picking the Orioles to finish last in a revamped American League East. O’Day said that serves as motivation.

“As a logical person, I understand that,” O’Day said. “I think it’s going to be the most competitive league in baseball, and to play these other heavyweight teams, what is it, 19 times? It’s tough. Somebody’s got to finish fourth or fifth. I don’t think it’s going to be us.

“But they’ve got to pick somebody. And if you look at rosters and think you know everything maybe you pick some other teams. But I would never count us out. I think we’ve shown that over the past four years that we play kind of a different brand of baseball that you can’t quantify. Maybe [we] steal some wins. But it’s going to be a good year in the AL East.”

O’Day said he’s looking forward to having pitching prospect Dylan Bundy in the bullpen this season with Bundy out of minor league options and needing to carry him on the big league roster. O'Day said he remembers Bundy’s first attempt at big league relief work when he made his major league debut in September 2012 at Fenway Park.

“The phone rang and Billy Castro was the bullpen coach at the time and he said, ‘Bundy, it’s for you.’” O’Day said. “And he’s wearing his sunglasses at the time and he jumps up and goes, ‘What do I do?’ [We said,] ‘You warm up.’ He jumps up on the mound, and I was like, ‘Take your sunglasses off, too.’

“We've got some work to do,” O’Day deadpanned. “We will help him out for sure. He’s obviously talented. I still remember the first bullpen I saw him throw. The quality and consistency of four pitches was incredible to stand behind and watch for a kid that young. He’s had a tough couple years with injuries and that can be frustrating for anybody. You get down on yourself so I think he’s got a time here where he’s got to show what he can do and we will help him as much as we can.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-bullpen-candidate-jeff-beliveau-says-his- shoulder-rehab-is-all-but-complete-20160220-story.html

Orioles bullpen candidate Jeff Beliveau says his shoulder rehab is all but complete

By Ed Encina / The Baltimore Sun February 20, 2016

Jeff Beliveau will throw his first bullpen session for Orioles today.

Former and left-hander Jeff Beliveau said that his surgically repaired shoulder has healed to the point where he can pitch alongside the other candidates for a middle-relief role in the Orioles bullpen.

Beliveau, who made 30 appearances and pitched to a 2.63 ERA for the Rays in 2014 before suffering a labrum tear last year, signed a minor league contract with the Orioles in December. He's 29 years old and has made just 58 relief appearances in his major league career, but he has been effective when healthy and has more than .

“I’m feeling good," he said Saturday. "Being out of that cold weather [after] throwing in a warehouse all offseason -- there are dirt mounds in there, so I got to throw three pens prior to getting out there. Being on the grass, throwing on a grass field feels really good, and the throwing program’s going well. I feel the more I throw the more I bounce back. My arm feels pretty good. Every step of the way, I’ve been on track. I haven’t had a setback, knock on wood."

He was scheduled to start his normal spring regimen on time Saturday, but has been cautioned not to overdo it or try to impress anyone right away.

"Basically, I don’t have any limitations -- the training staff was telling me -- basically just going to take it day by day," he said. "They’re stressing going slow, not trying to push anything. They’d rather have me in the second half than have me in the first half and not at the end."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165060190/orioles-excited-for-yovani-gallardo-to-join

O's look forward to playing alongside Gallardo Gausman: 'I think it makes our rotation a lot better'

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The news, which came out Saturday night, started to circle around the Orioles' clubhouse via text. Baltimore had finally reached an agreement with free-agent starter Yovani Gallardo on a three-year deal guaranteed to net him $35 million, according to a source. The club has not confirmed the deal.

And just like that, one of the biggest storylines in camp is already set.

Gallardo, who has a $13 million option for 2019, solidifies the O's rotation, and his pending arrival was the cause for much excitement in Sarasota on Sunday morning.

"It's letting all of us know that the front office is all in, too," said shortstop J.J. Hardy, who played with Gallardo for three seasons in Milwaukee. "Everybody is all in, so it's good. It's good to be a player here. That's why I wanted to stay back [and sign an extension], because I felt they were going to do everything they possibly could to make this team as good as possible, and that's what they're doing."

Catcher Matt Wieters, who accepted a qualifying offer to stay in Baltimore, said: "[Gallardo has] proven year in and year out he's going to be able to compete and give you a chance to win games. From watching from the other side, watching him on the mound, I love the guy's mentality on the mound and how he goes after it. He's as consistent a starter as there's been. Not only does it help our staff because he's a great pitcher, it also makes the staff that much deeper and everybody feed off each other."

Gallardo, who will likely take his physical on Monday, joins a group that also includes Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman.

"To have a guy who's been there and done that season after season is only going to be make us better," Gausman said of Gallardo, who has 102 wins and a 3.66 ERA in nine big league seasons. "I think it makes our rotation a lot better. It also gives us a bunch of different looks. He's a really over-the-top guy, arm-angle-wise, good breaking ball. I know he has a real good fastball. I know it will play well in Camden Yards. I think someone told me his splits, American League and National League are really good. Any time a guy can pitch well in the AL, he's done it before, so we're looking forward to him doing it again."

Gallardo went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for Texas last year, but his declining rate was cause for concern among some potential suitors. In 2015, Gallardo set career lows in swing-and- miss percentage (6.5) and strikeouts per nine innings (5.9).

One of the sport's most durable pitchers over the past seven seasons, Gallardo has made at least 30 starts and thrown at least 180 innings every year since 2009. He also boasts a solid playoff resume, having gone 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA in three trips to the postseason (six appearances).

"I don't know a lot [about him], but I know he does the job and does the job well," Tillman said. "We've got a couple guys who have been around him, and I've heard nothing but great things. It's exciting, it really is."

"We will receive him with happiness," added Jimenez. "I've known him since I played against him in Triple-A and in the Majors [while in the NL]. So I know him a little bit. He's a great guy, a great competitor. He's going to go out there and try to do everything to win his game. Especially if we play against the NL, they better be careful because he can make his own runs."

Gallardo has 12 homers and 42 RBIs and is the Major League's active leader in home runs for pitchers.

"Yeah, he can hit," Hardy said. "I remember, I think it was against San Francisco, he threw a shutout and hit a solo homer to win the game."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165060416/orioles-could-sign-dexter-fowler-next

Fowler could be next for determined O's Free agent would fill hole in Baltimore's outfield

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles addressed a serious hole on Saturday night in agreeing to terms with starter Yovani Gallardo, and there's reason to believe Baltimore isn't done just yet.

The O's are negotiating with free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler -- as was widely reported prior to the Gallardo agreement -- with the team willing to give up its second Draft pick now that it already sacrificed one to sign Gallardo.

Adding Fowler to the mix would fill the club's only other big hole this spring, with the thought being he'd take up the right-field spot next to center fielder Adam Jones. South Korean outfielder Hyun Soo Kim projects to start in left field.

Baltimore's payroll right now, for players with contracts for 2016, is around $150 million and will keep rising as the club officially extends deals to players still under team control. Adding Fowler would obviously push that number again and cap a record offseason for the O's, as they try to bounce back from missing the postseason in '15.

"I think it says a lot about the commitment to winning," catcher Matt Wieters said of the O's offseason moves and late additions, which they also had in 2014. "We were able to get a lot of guys back from last year's team who we didn't know would be back, and to be able to add on top of that definitely lets you know that ownership is ready to win now, which is a great feeling being in the clubhouse.

"As far as 2014 and this year, every year kind of feels a little bit different. I feel like those signings were more out of the blue and we weren't really hearing about it a lot, as opposed to Yovani and the outfielder [Fowler] we've been hearing about for the last two or three weeks, it seems like."

But the rumors certainly haven't been a distraction for the current club, which has welcomed the additions and the challenge of being predicted to finish in the bottom of the American League East.

"Yeah, it's been awesome," pitcher Kevin Gausman said. "I think we're talking about going and getting another guy right now, too, [in Fowler]. It shows the last couple of years they've been liking having the fan base back. It's weird because for now this is kind of all I've known, is us being really good, so I've been spoiled, I guess."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165035478/orioles-sign-pitcher-yovani-gallardo

O's add veteran Gallardo on 3-year deal

By A.J. Cassavell / MLB.com February 21, 2016

Yovani Gallardo and the Orioles have agreed to a three-year contract worth $35 million, a source told MLB.com on Saturday. The deal, which was first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, is said to include a $13 million option for 2019.

The signing, which has not been confirmed by the club, will require the O's to forfeit the 14th overall pick in this year's Draft, because Gallardo turned down a qualifying offer from the Rangers.

Gallardo's signing had been rumored for a couple of weeks and helps bring the Orioles' pitching staff into focus. The 29-year-old right-hander figures to slot into the front of the rotation. Chris Tillman. Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Gausman -- in no particular order -- are the favorites to round out the starting five in Baltimore.

Over nine big league seasons, Gallardo has amassed 102 wins and a 3.66 ERA. He went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for Texas last year, but his declining strikeout rate was cause for concern among some potential suitors. In 2015, Gallardo set career lows in swing-and-miss percentage (6.5) and strikeouts per nine innings (5.9).

One of the sport's most durable pitchers over the past seven seasons, Gallardo has made at least 30 starts and thrown at least 180 innings every year since 2009. He also boasts a solid playoff resume, having gone 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA in three trips to the postseason (six appearances).

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165040156/orioles-have-pieces-to-contend-in-al-east

In tough AL East, don't count out O's Gallardo addition latest move in stellar offseason for Duquette

By Richard Justice / MLB.com February 20, 2016

The Orioles still may not be your pick to win the American League East after their latest addition, workhorse right-hander Yovani Gallardo.

Some of you will stick with the Red Sox. They're a solid choice. Others like the Yankees and Blue Jays. No problem there, either. The Rays are better, too, with a much better lineup behind all that pitching.

Here's a little secret about this kind of stuff. The Orioles absolutely love being doubted. They feed off it and are motivated by it. Manager Buck Showalter will mention it a hundred times this spring, and he'll do it within earshot of his players.

His guys will listen. Two years ago when the Orioles won the AL East, they hadn't been a popular pick that season, either. When they clinched the divison, center fielder Adam Jones stayed on message.

"People still don't believe in us," Jones said. "Hey, that's fine. We believe. That's all that matters."

This Spring Training feels a lot like that one. In 2014, the Orioles were on almost no one's radar until signing outfielder Nelson Cruz and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenezfive days apart in February.

And this offseason had the look and feel of being a disaster. When it began, the Orioles figured they might lose first baseman Chris Davis, catcher Matt Wieters, reliever Darren O'Day and left- hander Wei-Yin Chen.

Then something remarkable happened. Wieters accepted the $15.8 million qualifying offer. O'Day re-signed in late January, and Davis a month later.

Other good stuff happened. General manager Dan Duquette pulled off a nice trade for Mark Trumbo, who has averaged 26 home runs in five Major League seasons. Duquette also signed South Korean slugger Hyun Soo Kim, who figures to contribute.

And on Saturday, the Orioles took another huge step forward by agreeing to terms with Gallardo on a three-year, $35 million contract. That deal is pending a physical and has not been confirmed by the club. Gallardo slots into the rotation somewhere behind Chris Tillman and alongside Miguel Gonzalez, Jimenez and Kevin Gausman.

The Orioles believe he'll nicely replace Chen, who signed with the Marlins. In four years with the Orioles, Chen averaged 177 innings and had a 3.72 ERA. In that same period, Gallardo averaged 190 innings with a 3.69 ERA.

Now if Duquette can finish the second half of his spring doubleheader by agreeing to terms with free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler, the Orioles could make another run at a division championship.

They still need Gausman to take another step toward being the ace he's envisioned to be. They need youngsters Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey to make strides toward the rotation.

And they need to keep their main guys on the field. If all of that -- or some of that -- happens, the Orioles are in business.

They may not be spectacular in any area outside of the bullpen, but they have no glaring weakness, either. In a division that appears to be up for grabs, with all five teams seeing a path to the postseason, that may be enough.

The Orioles also have huge strengths. They have a core of leadership that's as good as any in baseball -- Jones, Wieters, shortstop J.J. Hardy, etc. They have a manager, Showalter, who is as good as anyone at putting his players in position to succeed and getting them to believe in one another.

And in Duquette, they have a general manager who is as thorough and as creative as any on the planet. In the four years Duquette and Showalter have been together, the Orioles have won more regular-season games (355) than any other American League team and made two playoff appearances.

Camden Yards again has some Orioles magic in the air. In the end, it'll probably come down to Davis, Jones, etc., staying healthy, while getting solid contributions from Jimenez, Gausman and at least one of the two kids, Bundy or Harvey.

But considering how things started and how they could have gone, this has been an unimaginably nice offseason for the Orioles. If Duquette gets the deal done with Fowler, it may be time to take a second and third look at the AL East. It may be a sweet baseball summer in Baltimore after all.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165008528/darren-oday-to-mentor-dylan-bundy-on-orioles

O'Day to help guide Bundy in O's bullpen Veteran reliever remembers when prospect made his debut in 2012

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy mentioned Friday that should he make the team's Opening Day roster in the bullpen, he'll rely on some veterans to mentor him.

Bundy's first taste of being mentored, back in September 2012 when he made his debut, was pretty memorable to setup man Darren O'Day.

"The phone rang, and Billy Castro was the bullpen coach at the time, and he said, 'Bundy, it's for you!' And [Bundy is] wearing his sunglasses at the time and he jumps up and goes, 'What do I do?' [We said], 'You warm up.' He jumps up on the mound, and I was like, 'Take your sunglasses off, too,'" O'Day said, laughing. "We got some work to do.

"We will help him out for sure. He's obviously talented. I still remember the first bullpen I saw him throw. The quality and consistency of four pitches was incredible to stand behind and watch for a kid that young. He's had a tough couple years with injuries and that can be frustrating for anybody, you get down on yourself, so I think he's got a time here where he's got to show what he can do and we will help him as much as we can."

If healthy, Bundy -- who is out of Minor League options -- is projected to break camp with the team, which means the rookie will likely be the designated guy carrying all the snacks out to the bullpen for the relief corps.

"He'll look great. I was in the airport the other day and they had some really nice Hello Kitty bags," O'Day said. "So if Bundy is the guy with the bags, we might have to make it more pink."

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/165013838/pitcher-jeff-beliveau-says-shoulder-feels-good

No restrictions, but Beliveau taking it slow Left-hander is trying to land a spot in O's bullpen

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles bullpen hopeful Jeff Beliveau said Saturday that he doesn't have any restrictions in camp, though he will take Spring Training slow to ensure he recovers fully from the labrum surgery he underwent last April.

"My arm feels pretty good," said Beliveau, who was among the group of players who threw their first camp bullpens on Saturday. "Every step of the way, I've been on track. Haven't had a setback, knock on wood. Basically, I don't have any limitations, the training staff was telling me, basically just going to take it day by day. They're stressing going slow, not trying to push anything. They'd rather have me in the second half than have me in the first half and not at the end."

Beliveau, who had a lighter session on Saturday than some others, said the toughest part of going slow will come later in camp.

"I think the biggest thing is when hitters get in there and you get that adrenaline going. I'm still going to go as much as I can go, but I think they mean trying to throw back-to-back days off the mound. They're going to take it slow as far as appearances and back-to-back appearances," he said. "Once the hitters get in there, it's the extra five percent when you're gearing up and you get that adrenaline going. I think that will be the true test, once the games start."

Beliveau has had success in the American League East while with the Rays, and he impressed O's manager Buck Showalter at minicamp even though the left-hander estimated he was throwing around 60 percent. Pitching coach Dave Wallace went to one of Beliveau's physical training sessions with him this winter, and he could be a nice addition to an already strong O's bullpen. In 2014, Beliveau pitched to a 2.63 ERA in 30 games with the Rays, and the 29-year-old is ready for a fresh start.

"Basically, I just want to come back to what I was and let these guys see me for what I am and what I can do," he said.

http://m.orioles.mlb.com/news/article/164927144/dylan-bundy-hunter-harvey-aim-for-majors

Bundy, Harvey keeping eyes on Majors in '16 O's prospects have been hampered by injuries in their young careers

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com February 19, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey, the Orioles' top two pitching prospects, are hoping to put injuries behind them in 2016.

Bundy and Harvey, who were both shut down at different points of their Minor League seasons, were given a clean bill of health in camp and are aiming for successful Grapefruit League campaigns. Bundy, who played some catch during informal workouts on Thursday, pitched a few times in the Arizona Fall League and, prior to that, hadn't appeared in a Minor League game since May.

"I'm getting up there now [in intensity]," Bundy said of his throwing program. "I'll be close. I'll be close when the games start. I'll be pretty much full go."

Bundy, 23, has had an unfortunate string of injuries over the past few years, starting with Tommy John surgery in 2013, and he's out of Minor League options this spring. That means, if Bundy is not on the Opening Day roster and he's healthy, the Orioles would risk exposing him to waivers. The logical spot for Bundy on the O's roster is in the bullpen, and the right-hander said that would be OK by him.

"Any spot in the Major Leagues is a good spot," Bundy said.

Harvey, who still has options remaining, is aiming to open the season starting for one of the Orioles' full-season affiliates. The club's top pick in the '13 Draft, the 21-year-old Harvey has been hampered by a right flexor mass strain. He has started 25 games for the organization over two Minor League seasons since being drafted, reaching Class A Delmarva in '14.

Harvey was shut down in July 2014 with a flexor mass strain and returned to pitch the following spring, only to fracture his fibula on a comebacker in a Minor League exhibition contest. Harvey was shut down again with the flexor mass issues after rehabbing his fibula. He did not pitch at all during the 2015 regular season.

"I think I might have come back just a little fast," Harvey said on Friday. "I took it too easy when I was coming back, then tried to come back on the mound and full-blast it. Just got to be a little bit smarter on that when I'm coming back."

Harvey said last year was "long" and it was the first time he's really missed significant time due to an injury. But he's been throwing pain-free since December and is optimistic he'll have a successful 2016.

"I hope so," Harvey said of potentially starting the season with Class A Advanced Frederick. "I'm just trying to get out of Spring Training this year. Wherever they put me, it will work."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/mcfarland-says-he-isnt-wondering-how- gallardos-signing-impacts-him.html

McFarland says he isn't wondering how Gallardo's signing impacts him

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 22, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - With five right-handers in the rotation following Yovani Gallardo's agreement on a three-year, $35 million contract, do the Orioles need left-hander T.J. McFarland to serve as the long man in their bullpen?

McFarland isn't dwelling on it. He'll jump into the competition, but please remove him from the debate.

"I definitely don't think about that at all," McFarland said. "It's way too early to even speculate anything, if not later on in camp. I never speculate. It's been three years now and it's kind of come down to the wire, so I'm just going to go out there and whatever role they have me throw during spring, I'm just going to take it and run with it. We'll see what happens."

McFarland didn't break camp with the team last spring, his first appearance with the Orioles delayed until May 8. He went 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.736 WHIP in 30 games over 40 1/3 innings, disappointing production after he posted a 2.76 ERA and 1.415 WHIP in 37 games over 58 2/3 innings the previous season.

Right-handers batted .375/.461/.557 against McFarland last season and left-handers hit .232/.267/.317.

McFarland has been tweaking his delivery over the winter, first simulating it at his house without actually throwing. Let him explain.

"There's some things I worked on in the offseason in terms of getting a longer stride and kind of being more downhill, and as a result of that, my pitches are going to be sharper," he said "By throwing a 'pen (Friday) I'm already seeing some good results, so I'm happy. It's more along the lines of me throwing downhill instead of side to side.

"Of course, the breaking ball is a big pitch for me, and so is the . But really it's a matter of sharpening everything and I feel like I've put in a lot of good work this offseason.

"Dom (Chiti) and Dave (Wallace) have been talking about it for the past season or so and we've kind of been trying to implement it a little bit with still being competitive during the season, as well, because it's kind of hard to make a change in the middle of the season. So that's why I kind of hit the ground running in the offseason and really, really worked on exactly what we talked about all year."

I've been asked about the corresponding 40-man roster move for Gallardo. I'm only able to speculate, which is never comfortable.

I'd expect a pitcher to be removed, though it's not a requirement. The Orioles can't designate left- hander Chris Jones for assignment because they put him on the 40-man in November to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. It's a baseball rule. They'd have to release him and attempt to re-sign him, as they did two years ago after signing outfielder Nelson Cruz.

Players have been submitting their own guesses, conceding that there isn't an obvious choice.

There might not be a spot for Vance Worley, who's out of options, but he could be a trade candidate later in camp.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/wrapping-up-the-third-day-of- workouts.html

Wrapping up the third day of workouts

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles completed their third day of workouts. More position players trickled into camp, including infielder . No one was carted off the field.

Center fielder Adam Jones now is expected to report on Monday. Manager Buck Showalter said he would check on pitcher Todd Redmond.

The Monday workout will be abbreviated due to the sixth annual OriolesREACH Birdland Golf Classic. Showalter expects the place to empty out by 11:30 a.m., and he didn't receive any arguments from the media.

Showalter expects Yovani Gallardo's physical to be completed by Tuesday. Then it's a matter of getting back the results, getting his signature on a contract and arranging the press conference.

"I'm sure we'll get it done quickly one way or the other," Showalter said.

Some players already were debating the corresponding 40-man roster move. There aren't as many obvious choices anymore.

Twenty-two of the 30 pitchers currently in camp are on the 40-man.

"The razor's got a little sting. The knife's got a little sting now," Showalter said.

"Dan (Duquette) asked me to poll around the coaches in the meeting in the morning, which we've done the last couple of days. I've got what Dan's thinking. We're all looking at the same factors in it. We've got some guys who are out of options, some guys that have options.

"I don't think it means it's going to be a pitcher. Who knows? We could be having the same thing again."

The "same thing" is a reference to outfielder Dexter Fowler, whose arrival would force another player to come off the 40-man.

Gallardo gives the Orioles five right-handed starters in their rotation, which doesn't seem to be an issue with anyone in camp.

"All right-handed starters in the big leagues better be able to defend themselves against left- handed hitters," Showalter said. "Sometimes that separates them from being a starter or a reliever. And all left-handers have to be able to defend themselves against right-handers because the lineups up here, you'll see a lineup down in Triple-A that Chris Lee will face and it'll have six left-handed hitters. That's not going to happen in the big leagues. You've got to ask yourself what's he going to do to get them out?

"That part of it doesn't really bother me. I've never really understood I have to have this many left-handed hitters in it. Because it does what? What does it do for you? If it's your ballpark, that's one thing.

"The right-left stuff, I really mean that, not because we potentially don't have one. I just want good starters. If they're right-handed, so be it."

Do the Orioles need a left-handed long reliever to back up the starters in case they leave the game early?

"On the surface, conventionally thinking, yeah, but that doesn't mean that (a certain) left-hander has an advantage over (a certain) right-hander," Showalter said. "I want the person who can supply that need, whether he's right-handed or left-handed.

"On paper, it should be left-handed, but who knows? You know you've got your closer is left- handed, so most of the people in the lineup are going to be left-handed. That's one of the advantages of having a left-handed closer is that most of the pinch-hitters and everyone off the bench is left-handed. There's not that many right-handed pinch-hitters coming off the bench in the American League East unless they've got a day off or something is happening. Most of those guys are cut from a different cloth."

Showalter is sensitive to the potential reactions of pitchers on the team who could be impacted by Gallardo's arrival.

"There's a lot of things that can put some people that think it might affect them right back where they were," Showalter said. "There's a lot of things, whether it be another move or injuries or what have you. You've got to keep grinding, and they will. They will. This is something they've been hearing and it's not the first time it's been there, but it's something you need to be sensitive to."

Gallardo figures to be the No. 1 or 2 starter breaking camp, but Showalter isn't done slotting his pitchers.

"I've looked at it ever since we thought it had a chance. You have to. You have to get ahead of it," he said.

"We've already pulled up all our guys' and the potential guys' numbers versus opponents we face in April and against our division. We've got all of that. You could probably look at that and see where it might work. We do get to play with that in April before rain and a lot of other things get in the way. But as far as those things, I think that's to be determined."

"I was talking to Wally (Dave Wallace) yesterday, at what point is he behind physically? And he said, 'No, that's way off,' so we're in good shape."

The Orioles open the regular season April 4 against the Twins at Camden Yards. Gallardo is 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA in eight starts against them. He's 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in three starts against the Rays, the Orioles' next opponent, 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in four starts against the Red Sox, 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in three starts against the Yankees and 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts against the Blue Jays.

The month also includes games against the Rangers, Royals and White Sox. Gallardo has faced the Rangers once, allowing four runs and striking out 10 in six innings. He's 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in two starts versus the Royals and he's allowed one unearned run over 11 innings in two starts versus the White Sox.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/more-on-gallardo-plus-todays-side- sessions.html

More on Gallardo, plus today's side sessions

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Yovani Gallardo is expected to arrive in Sarasota on Monday to take his physical after agreeing to a three-year, $35 million contract that includes a $13 million option for 2019.

There wasn't enough time for Gallardo to get to the Ed Smith Stadium complex this afternoon.

The Orioles are confident that Gallardo will pass his physical. They've already done extensive homework on him and have no concerns. Efforts continue to sign outfielder Dexter Fowler, who has become a top priority for the club.

Meanwhile, 14 pitches threw bullpen sessions today: Zach Britton, T.J. McFarland, Dale Thayer, Odrisamer Despaigne, , , Mike Wright, Chaz Roe, Andy Oliver, Tyler Wilson, Oliver Drake, Parker Bridwell, Chris Lee and Chris Jones.

No sign of Todd Redmond, who was supposed to return to camp after leaving for a family matter.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/players-react-to-gallardo-deal.html

Players react to Gallardo deal

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini showed up in the clubhouse today, two more early arrivals in camp. Position players aren't due until Tuesday.

The early returns on Yovani Gallardo's arrival later this week are favorable. Players are excited to add a veteran starter with a track record, someone who can provide wins, innings and leadership. Here are some of the reactions, beginning with J.J. Hardy, Gallardo's teammate for three seasons in Milwaukee:

Hardy: "He's an awesome guy. Good pitcher. Obviously, you guys can see his numbers. He's only had one losing season in, what is it, nine years? Great guy, great teammate. He'll fit right in.

"It's great. I think he'll fit right in with everybody and it's nice to just have another arm. We have a lot of good arms and everybody is capable of being really good and he'll be a great addition."

Matt Wieters: "He's proven year in and year out he's going to be able to compete and give you a chance to win games. From watching from the other side, watching him on the mound, I love the guy's mentality on the mound and how he goes after it. He's as consistent a starter as there's been. Not only does it help our staff because he's a great pitcher, it also makes the staff that much deeper and everybody feed off each other."

Kevin Gausman: "I think his last seven seasons he's thrown at least 190 innings, or something like that. To have a guy who's been there and done that season after season is only going make us better. I think it makes our rotation a lot better. It also gives us a bunch of different looks. He's a really over-the-top guy, arm angle-wise. Good breaking ball. I know he has a real good fastball. I know it will play well in Camden Yards.

"I think someone told me his splits, American League and National League, are really good. Anytime a guy can pitch well in the American League, he's done it before, so we're looking forward to him doing it again.

"In 2012, they got a taste of it. I was actually in (instructional league) watching them play the Yankees. That was really cool. Obviously, 2014. I think they're just ready to win. They like it. They like having the ballpark full, and we do, too. We're obviously very excited."

Caleb Joseph: "Just looking at some of the numbers here. We've seen him over the years in Milwaukee and of course last year in Texas. Especially in the playoffs, it was impressive to watch him kind of go through that Toronto lineup last year. He's one of those guys with seven straight years of 30 (or more) starts. A lot of innings. That's a piece we need in the rotation, and he provides a lot of experience. He'll provide stability. Another veteran presence. I think it's a really solid pickup for the team, for sure."

Chris Tillman: "I don't know a lot about him, but I know he does the job and does the job well. We've got a couple guys who have been around him and I've heard nothing but great things. It's exciting, it really is. I found out from other players who texted me. I think they're excited. We're all excited."

Ubaldo Jimenez: "We'll receive him with happiness. I've known him since I played against him in Triple-A and in the majors, so I know him a little bit. He's a great guy, a great competitor. He's going to go out there and try to do everything to win his game. Especially if we play against the National League, they better be careful because he can make his own runs.

"I'll do everything possible to make him feel comfortable. I know him a little bit. Once you get into the clubhouse and know someone, it makes it easier because you aren't going to be so tight in the clubhouse."

The Orioles have spent about $250 million on free agents this winter and are trying to complete a deal with outfielder Dexter Fowler. The current payroll is around $150 million and it's going up.

Hardy: "It's letting all of us know that the front office is all-in, too. Everybody is all-in, so it's good. It's good to be a player here. That's why I wanted to stay back because I felt they were going to do everything they possibly could to make this team as good as possible and that's what they're doing."

Wieters: "I think it says a lot about the commitment to winning. We were able to get a lot of guys back from last year's team who we didn't know would be back and to be able to add on top of that definitely lets you know that ownership is ready to win now, which is a great feeling being in the clubhouse."

Joseph: "It shows a commitment that ownership has to the team to winning, to getting back to the playoffs. I think in 2014 it was just another great reminder that this city actually is a baseball city, and the fans, they want to get behind you and they want to get out there and support you from Day 1 to playoff baseball. And they get just as excited about playoff baseball as any city I've ever seen. The commitment that ownership is making to the team now and the team in the future is exciting. It's exciting to be a part of and it's a good time to be an Oriole for sure."

Gausman: "Yeah, it's been awesome. I think we're talking about going and getting another guy right now, too. It shows the last couple of years they've been liking having the fan base back. It's weird because for now this is kind of all I've known is us being really good, so I've been spoiled, I guess."

Jimenez: "They want to win. They aren't waiting around to have a great team to give us an opportunity to be better and go after winning the championship."

The rotation will have five right-handers with Gallardo, Tillman, Jimenez, Gausman and Miguel Gonzalez.

Wieters: "For me as a catcher, if you can get guys out, I don't care whether you throw right- handed or left-handed or you kick it up there with your foot. If you can get guys out, we'll put you on the mound."

Joseph: "I heard what Buck (Showalter) and Dave (Wallace) and Dom (Chiti) were saying. They'd rather have five solid righties than one average lefty, and I have to agree with them on that. Honestly, I don't know. I've never not had a left-hander in a rotation before. But these guys are proven veteran pitchers on our team. They can get both left-handers and right-handers out. They've got the stuff to combat an all left-handed lineup. For me, it doesn't make a difference."

Gausman: "I wouldn't say it's unusual. I would say you see it much more nowadays. Obviously, it's more rare to see all lefties. I think the Dodgers have all left-handed starters, I believe, but yeah, obviously it's a different look, but we have a lot of left-handed weapons coming out of the 'pen. If you think about (Brian) Matusz and (Zach) Britton and T.J. (McFarland), those guys are all very good left-handed sinkerballers. It's kind of a different look, obviously. I think picking him up makes the team a lot better."

Does the Gallardo signing and continued pursuit of Fowler remind anyone of 2014, when the Orioles added Jimenez and Nelson Cruz after reporting to camp?

Wieters: "As far as 2014 and this year, every year kind of feels a little bit different. I feel like those signings were more out of the blue and we weren't really hearing about it a lot, as opposed to Yovani and the outfielder we've been hearing about for the last two or three weeks it seems like. Every year kind of feels a little bit different, so I don't really see the comparisons. You really can't compare years until the year's over anyway."

Gallardo is the active leader among pitchers with 12 home runs.

Hardy: "Yeah, he can hit. I remember, I think it was against San Francisco, he threw a shutout and hit a solo homer to win the game. Yeah, he can hit."

The Orioles don't see a downside to adding a veteran.

Tillman: "I don't see why it wouldn't help. Anytime you have those guys around, it's a guy thing. I think we saw that with (Jason) Hammel and Ubaldo and prior to that, (Kevin) Millwood."

How many guys actually believed in October that Wieters, Chris Davis and Darren O'Day would return, Trumbo would be acquired in a trade, the club would sign Gallardo and Hyun Soo Kim and they'd make a strong run at Fowler or another outfielder?

Wieters: "I would have been hopeful for it. I don't know that I would have had the (Magic) 8 ball to say this would have happened or the crystal ball that said this was going to happen. But I'm excited by how it's gone so far. But no matter what players you bring in, there's still a lot of work to get done to be able to have a good year."

What about predictions earlier this winter that the Orioles would finish in last place and how they received a failing grade for their offseason?

Wieters: "I've learned to kind of stay away from reading a lot of stuff early in the offseason because unless you decide to take the qualifying offer, a lot of things take place a lot later in the offseason. What gets written, we can only function once a guy gets in this clubhouse. As soon as somebody gets in this clubhouse, we're going to welcome him and see how we can help him and he can help us win games."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/notes-on-tillman-navarro-gallardo-and- more.html

Notes on Tillman, Navarro, Gallardo and more

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - While the Orioles continue their offseason spending spree, they apparently haven't reopened extension talks with the agent for pitcher Chris Tillman.

The sides discussed an extension in January 2015 and agreed to shut it down if an agreement couldn't be reached by opening day. The Orioles tossed out a preliminary figure, a source confirmed at the time, and nothing else came of it.

Tillman avoided an arbitration hearing last month by signing for $6.225 million. He can become a free agent following the 2017 season.

Tillman hasn't badgered agent Dan Horwitz, part of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, about possible negotiations.

"I had other worries this offseason," he said with a laugh.

"Whatever happens, happens. I don't feel strongly one way or the other. I love Baltimore and I'd love to stay here, but that's not my decision to make. Not right now, at least."

Tillman isn't reading anything into how the Orioles reached out to Horwitz last winter after he went 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA in a career-high 34 starts and 207 1/3 innings. He was 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA in 31 starts and 173 innings in 2015.

"I don't think about it at all, to tell you the truth. I hardly thought about it when it was going on," Tillman said.

"That's not my job. My job is to go out and play baseball and let them do their deal and make a decision when I have to."

* I forgot to mention yesterday that outfielder/first baseman Efren Navarro reported to camp. I tweeted the news, but omitted it from the blog.

Some fans may not care, but Navarro brings a reputation as one of the nicest guys in baseball. I had a brief interaction with him yesterday and can confirm it.

The Orioles acquired Navarro from the Angels on Jan. 26 for cash considerations.

* The Orioles have spent about $250 million on free agents this winter when factoring in Yovani Gallardo's guaranteed $35 million. That's a lot, right?

Gallardo will be paid $9 million this season, $11 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018.

Do the Orioles remove a pitcher from their 40-man roster to make room for Gallardo? He'd increase their camp total to 31 pitchers.

Here's the latest look at the 40-man roster:

Pitchers Brad Brach Parker Bridwell Zach Britton Dylan Bundy Odrisamer Despaigne Oliver Drake Jason Garcia Kevin Gausman Mychal Givens Miguel Gonzalez Ubaldo Jimenez Chris Jones Chris Lee Brian Matusz T.J. McFarland Darren O'Day Chaz Roe Chris Tillman Andrew Triggs Tyler Wilson Vance Worley Mike Wright

Catchers Caleb Joseph Francisco Pena Matt Wieters

Infielders Chris Davis J.J. Hardy Jimmy Paredes Christian Walker

Outfielders Dariel Alvarez Adam Jones Hyun Soo Kim Efren Navarro Nolan Reimold Joey Rickard Mark Trumbo Henry Urrutia

* Gallardo can swing a bat, which will come in handy during interleague play or if manager Buck Showalter runs out of pinch-hitters. Though he's a career .198/.223/.333 hitter in nine seasons, he's got 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.

The Orioles can vouch for him. Gallardo beat them with a 10th-inning pinch-hit double on May 27, 2014 while playing for the Brewers.

Milwaukee used its last position player and Gallardo stood on deck with two outs. T.J. McFarland walked Mark Reynolds intentionally, fell behind Gallardo 2-0 and gave up the game- winner on a ball that slammed off the fence in left-center field.

The Angels' Albert Pujols is 15-for-32 with three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs lifetime versus Gallardo. Free agent Pedro Alvarez is 2-for-29 with 12 strikeouts.

Former Oriole Nelson Cruz is 6-for-10 with two home runs against Gallardo. The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is 1-for-14.

I'll also add that Orioles infielder Paul Janish, a career .216 hitter in 1,115 major league at-bats, is 5-for-10 versus Gallardo.

Gallardo already has bonded with at least one Oriole. J.J. Hardy was a Brewers teammate from 2007-2009.

* Do the Orioles retain interest in pitcher Tim Lincecum now that they've agreed to terms with Gallardo?

I'm not sure how Lincecum would fit if he's determined to receive a major league deal. Barring a trade, the rotation is set with Tillman, Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/orioles-reach-agreement-with-pitcher- yovani-gallardo.html

Orioles reach agreement with pitcher Yovani Gallardo (updated)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reached an agreement with right-hander Yovani Gallardo on a three-year contract worth $35 million, according to multiple sources, filling the spot in their rotation vacated by Wei-Yin Chen. The deal includes a $13 million option and is contingent on Gallardo passing his physical, which could take place Sunday.

Update: I'm told the physical is more likely to take place on Monday.

It's not the last order of business, but they're getting closer.

The club targeted Gallardo early in free agency, but they had reservations about surrendering the 14th overall pick. Gallardo turned down a qualifying offer from the Rangers.

The Orioles appeared to move away from Gallardo until about three weeks ago, when they began checking his medicals again and stepped up their efforts to sign him. They vowed to upgrade the rotation after finishing at .500 last season, and Gallardo was their best remaining option in free agency.

Gallardo initially sought an opt-out clause in his contract, but the Orioles are firm in their belief that it doesn't benefit the club. The clause wasn't a deal-breaker. Instead, the sides needed to revisit the amount of guaranteed money that would complete negotiations and further discuss the option.

I'm told that talks began to heat up again yesterday.

A former second-round pick of the Brewers, Gallardo is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA in nine major league seasons. He's made 30 or more starts in seven consecutive years.

Gallardo, who turns 30 later this month, brings some concerns about his slight drop in velocity and strikeouts per nine innings, which have gone from 9.0 to 7.2 to 6.8 to 5.9. His WHIP rose from 1.295 in 2014 to 1.416 last season.

The rotation now consists of five right-handers, including Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman. The Orioles also traded for right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, who has three minor league options remaining.

The Orioles still want to add another hitter and are willing to part with the compensatory pick, awarded after Chen signed with the Marlins, in order to secure switch-hitting outfielder Dexter Fowler. They also have talked to the Reds about Jay Bruce and retain interest in Pedro Alvarez, a free agent who's represented by Scott Boras. However, Fowler is the guy they're targeting and a source said tonight that he expects the Orioles to complete the deal.

The source said the Orioles have talked about a two-year deal worth around $24 million that would include an option. They would relinquish the 28th overall pick.

Alvarez projects mostly as a designated hitter and that role should be filled by Mark Trumbo, with Chris Davis getting the bulk of the starts at first base. Fowler can play right field, bat leadoff and enable Manny Machado to move down in the order, though manager Buck Showalter is fine with his third baseman batting first again in 2016.

The addition of Gallardo gives the Orioles 59 players on their spring training roster, including 31 pitchers. However, they still have to make a corresponding move to place Gallardo on their 40- man roster.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman first reported the agreement with Gallardo.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/wrapping-up-the-second-day-of- workouts.html

Wrapping up the second day of workouts (with photos)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Everyone scheduled to throw a bullpen session today took the mound to conclude the second official workout at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

Todd Redmond is expected back in camp on Sunday after leaving for a few days to attend to a family matter. Center fielder Adam Jones is expected to report on Sunday.

Hunter Harvey impressed this afternoon, displaying a smooth, repeatable delivery and popping the catcher's mitt. Manager Buck Showalter noted how Harvey's arm slot is higher this spring.

"It's a good sign," Showalter said. "His arm action's higher. He's one of those guys that when they warm up on the side, it's not the same deliver as when they get on a mound and throw downhill. I think Dom (Chiti) and I were talking about it. We both saw the same thing. He's going to be a little higher, which is a good indicator."

Harvey arrived with mechanics that didn't need much work.

"Pretty good. Not a whole lot to do there," Showalter said. "He had some tweaks along the way, for sure. I haven't heard any wholesale talk about it. That's not some of the issues he's had that were mechanically related. In our opinion anyway."

Showalter also was impressed yesterday with Dylan Bundy's breaking ball.

"That kind of tells you how he feels and how far along he is," Showalter said. "He's a go."

Jason Garcia no longer has Rule 5 status and can be optioned to the minors, but Showalter isn't eliminating him from the camp bullpen competition.

Asked whether he's noticed any changes in Garcia this spring, Showalter replied, "I saw it the last two months of the season. We all saw it. He knows he belongs, he can do this. He might even do it this year in April. Who knows?

"This guy's competing for a spot. It's just about gaining trust in him. He's got a good arm. We said 100 times last year, if we can get through the year we're going to like having this guy in our organization next year. Not that we didn't last year. He pitched like one of the guys for periods last year. I was glad where he ended up the end of the year. I would have signed up for that.

"He has a chance to be pretty good. I think a lot of the debate now is about him starting versus relieving. Whether you put him in as a reliever and he throws two to three innings every third day or do you start him with the four days and the work day? Then you run into some inning issues if you start him, which you can control. That's provided he doesn't make this club. I expect him to have a good spring. I never tell the guys I expect to have a bad spring."

Jeff Beliveau ended his session before Kevin Gausman, who threw in the same group, but only because he's recovering from April labrum surgery. He's on a full mound and continuing to open eyes in camp.

"That was a good first day," Showalter said. "He's going to go through his exercises and things they do up here with the shoulder and everything and see where he is when everybody else, his group, throws again. But so far, so good. It felt good. Just trying to make sure he's not going too fast."

The Orioles signed Beliveau to a minor league deal after he appeared in only five games with the Rays in 2015. He's made six career appearances against the Orioles and struck out seven batters over four scoreless innings. They were 3-for-15 against the Rhode Island native.

"He's got good stuff," Showalter said. "I remember he came in against us, and initially you look at the velocity and you kind of go, 'OK, what's this guy presenting?' And an inning or two later he had done well. So he's got a presentation that's different. You just don't see the ball off of him real well, so his fastball plays up higher than the velocity. And I think he was hurt a little bit, too.

"It's kind of interesting to see. It's always interesting when other guys come in (to see) how others guys do it in different organizations and how they've been handled, but I think he's got a chance to help us at some point."

So does Beliveau, 29, who's encouraged by the way his shoulder is responding to his sessions.

"I'm feeling good," he said. "Being out of that cold weather, been throwing in a warehouse all offseason. There are dirt mounds in there, so I got to throw three 'pens prior to getting out there. Being on the grass, throwing on a grass field feels really good, and, the throwing program's going well.

"I feel the more I throw the more I bounce back. My arm feels pretty good. Every step of the way, I've been on track. Haven't had a setback, knock on wood. Basically, I don't have any limitations, the training staff was telling me. Basically just going to take it day by day. They're stressing going slow, not trying to push anything. They'd rather have me in the second half than have me in the first half and not at the end.

"I think the biggest thing is when hitters get in there and you get that adrenaline. I'm still going to go as much as I can go, but I think they mean trying to throw back-to-back days off the mound. They're going to take it slow as far as appearances and back-to-back appearances. Once the hitters get in there, it's the extra five percent when you're gearing up and you get that adrenalin going. I think that will be the true test, once the games start."

Beliveau impressed Showalter and his coaches in minicamp, which surprised the left-hander, considering how he was tossing off a flat mound. He certainly was appreciative of the praise.

"I was throwing like 60 percent throwing off a flat mound. I was not going off a mound at that point," he said. "It's pretty cool how they have the flat mound and the half mound. That was really cool.

"I was kind of just going through working on my mechanics and working on spots. It was nice that (Showalter) could pick out anything because I was throwing 60 percent. Basically, I just want to come back to what I was and let these guys see me for what I am and what I can do."

And finally, Showalter was asked about Darren O'Day re-signing as a free agent and his importance to the organization.

"When you talk about people like that, it goes so far beyond his statistics and the contributions Darren makes," Showalter said. "He's got such a pure heart. He loves being a part of our team, and let's face it, we're down here to build a team and Darren's a part of that. He helps us build it by ways other than pitching, and that's been pretty good.

"I know he impacts this team and he makes other people better, and it's not any egotistical thing. Darren's the same guy who walked in here that day from Texas. You all know that. He doesn't change, but he also understands the weight his words carry and he doesn't get malicious about it. He's not coming here and saying, 'Now that I've got this X contract, I've got to do this more.'

"I think he has a lot of confidence in us and we do in him. He's going to have his moments, but he's going to fight through it. He sets a great example every day. This is how you get that type of commitment from us if you carry yourself like this. I haven't seen any signs of him trying to do something different more and that's what I've told him. I just want you to carry on, carry on.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/dan-duquette-we-have-a-lot-more-work-to- do.html

Dan Duquette: "We have a lot more work to do"

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette reported to camp yesterday afternoon, bringing his work with him from the third floor of the warehouse at Camden Yards. He met with the media for about 10 minutes today while pitchers and worked out on various fields.

There's no news to pass along except that the Orioles don't appear especially close to signing free agent pitcher Yovani Gallardo or outfielder Dexter Fowler. Nothing is imminent. However, as always, everything can change with one phone call.

Here's a sampling from Duquette:

On the chances that new players will report to camp: "We're still trying to add to our team and we have some more work to do. We're still working on a couple of things that could help the ballclub. It's really hard to handicap whether you're going to get a deal completed or not, so I try not to. Just keep working and trying to find the right fit for the team."

On whether the Orioles were close on Gallardo: "We have a lot more work to do to get our team in shape, so that's my perspective on it. We have a lot of work to do."

On whether the club is comfortable surrendering draft picks: "That's part of the consideration in the situations with the free agents that require compensation. If the club is going to participate in that market, they have to take into account the value of the pick, the current value and the potential future value of the pick. That's part of our consideration in each of these instances for compensation free agents. It's a system that's been in place for a couple of years, but there seems to be certain players in the market where it affects their contract."

On whether he thinks qualifying offers will exist to years from now: "Well, first of all, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on any potential negotiation between MLB and the Players Association, but from everything you read it looks like that's going to be a discussion between the parties."

On whether there's a self-imposed deadline on negotiations: "There's situations that the timing either comes together and you get a deal or you agree that you're not going to get a deal. Those situations come up all the time. But we're always trying to build our roster and we look for opportunities year-round. It just seems like in the last couple years the offseason has extended into the training season for the club.

"I think this time of year, players are anxious to get going. They're anxious to get going with their programs so they can have a good year. Clubs are looking to staff their teams, so they know who they have."

On whether he's talking to multiple free agents: "We're talking to a number of players. You see some of these players signing here recently. The clubs are starting to train, the players are starting to sign, so we're talking to a few players."

On whether the Orioles have scouted Tim Lincecum: "We haven't seen him yet."

On the search for outfielders: "We've been looking at adding to our outfield depth as well as our pitching, so we've been talking to a number of players."

More on weighing signing free agents versus surrendering draft picks: "The (Nelson) Cruz deal, we weren't interested in doing a one-year contract with Cruz for a first round pick. Our assessment of his addition to the team and the market, that worked out for the club. For the club, it's been a little bit more difficult choice this time around. We're drafting higher in the draft, so on paper that pick should command more value, so we have to take a longer look at what the value of the pick is as compared to how we can help our club. The idea is to have a good team every year, right? We're trying to maximize our team this year and have a good year this year and also have a good team next year and the year after that and the year after that."

On whether he'd be OK offering a shorter deal and losing the second draft pick if a player costing the first pick signed a longer deal: "I'm not sure I understand the question, but in 2014 we signed a couple of veteran players that helped the team and the team had a good year, so we understand the value of adding solid, veteran proven players to help the major league team."

On whether the qualifying offer creates a game of chicken now: "I don't really see it that way. I believe that these draft picks have a specific value in the marketplace and we try to quantify what the value is and factor that into our discussions. That's all. It's a fact that these players that turn down a qualifying offer have that compensation attached to their compensation playing. Each one has a specific value as far as we're concerned. I think that's reflected in the market."

On whether the team as currently constructed is good: "We've got some serious strengths on this club. We've got a good bullpen. We've got strengths up the middle. We should have a very good lineup. We try to address the on-base capability of the club with some of the signings we made this offseason. Notably with (Hyun Soo) Kim and L.J. Hoes and Joey Rickard. They all have good on-base capabilities. We have a number of veteran players that are poised to have good years that we want to have good years. If we could bolster our starting rotation that would certainly help the club."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/oday-on-mentoring-bundy-davis-return- and-expectations-for-2016.html

O'Day on mentoring Bundy, Davis' return and expectations for 2016

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - Rule 5 outfielder Joey Rickard reported to camp this morning, another position player arriving early.

Dylan Bundy mentioned yesterday that he's counting on the veteran relievers to assist in his transition to a bullpen role. Darren O'Day is the obvious choice as the leader of the group.

Bundy made two relief appearances with the Orioles in September 2012. O'Day was there. So were the laughs.

"I wonder if he talked about the first time we mentored him in Fenway when he made his debut," O'Day said this morning. "The phone rang and Billy Castro was the bullpen coach at the time and he said, 'Bundy, it's for you!' And he's wearing his sunglasses at the time and he jumps up and goes,

'What do I do?' We said, 'You warm up.' He jumps up on the mound and it was like, 'Take your sunglasses off, too.' We've got some work to do.

"We'll help him out for sure. He's obviously talented. I still remember the first bullpen I saw him throw. The quality and consistency of four pitches was incredible to stand behind and watch for a kid that young. He's had a tough couple years with injuries and that can be frustrating for anybody. You get down on yourself, so I think he's got a time here where he's got to show what he can do and we'll help him as much as we can."

Bundy probably will be given the chore of carrying the backpack filled with candy to the bullpen before every game. The players choose the color and design, and it's never flattering to the kid handling it.

"He'll look great," O'Day said. "I was in the airport the other day and they had some really nice Hello Kitty bags, so if Bundy is the guy with the bags, we might have to make it more pink."

Just as long as Bundy carries it with his non-throwing hand.

"We'll make it light," O'Day said.

O'Day is pretty good at keeping the mood light. He joked at his press conference, set up at Camden Yards after he signed a four-year, $31 million contract, that he grew a bushy mustache in hopes that it would entice Chris Davis to return. Davis eventually signed for $161 million.

Coincidence?

"Ultimately, I don't think it was the mustache," O'Day quipped. "There are a lot of good reasons to come back here. You'll have to ask Chris what his ultimate decider was."

O'Day was thrilled that the sides reached agreement, bringing back a player who led the majors in home runs for two of the last three seasons.

"Yeah, we're an overly right-handed lineup, so we needed a big left-handed power hitter, obviously," O'Day said. "We already had a guy that we know what he's capable of in the field. He plays all over the place, he hits and he's a good teammate, and obviously he's a good friend, so it's just a great fit. He's a great player, so we're glad to have him back.

"There are a few different ways to improve as an organization, as a team, to commit to winning. Whether it be through the draft or through trades or through signing free agents. So I think they showed a commitment to winning, really, to putting a good team on the field by signing some of these guys who were pretty expensive.

"It's really challenging to build a team on a low-dollar budget to win games, so to play at this level, you've got to spend some money. Our team did. They're always pretty creative with these late-season signings. We had some pretty good ones a couple years ago, so we'll see if they can pull some magic again."

O'Day stayed in touch with Davis during the free agent process. He didn't necessarily recruit Davis to stay in Baltimore. It was more like "comparing notes," O'Day said.

"The emotional play. With Chris, he already knew what was here, the guys here, the group, the environment we come to work in every day, so it wasn't so much telling him what that would be like. It was more so just reminding him of the stuff he had done here. It was more so talking to a friend. And growing a mustache."

O'Day admitted that he never would have imagined after the 2015 season that he'd still be sharing a clubhouse with Davis and Matt Wieters.

"Frankly, no. I'd be surprised," he said. "There's quality players and quality men. There's a lot to like about this team and the players they've assembled, so it is surprising a little bit, but obviously it's a really nice pleasant surprise. Personally, I couldn't be happier to be back, and I hope I speak for the other guys."

Despite returning three prominent free agents, the Orioles are picked to finish fourth or fifth in the division by the majority of prognosticators. The news isn't a heavy burden for an organization that's grown accustomed to being taken lightly.

"It's motivation," O'Day said. "As a logical person, I understand that. I think it's going to be the most competitive (division) in baseball, and to play these other heavyweight teams, what is it, 19 times? It's tough. Somebody's got to finish fourth or fifth. I don't think it's going to be us. But they've got to pick somebody, and if you look at rosters and think you know everything, maybe you pick some other teams. But I would never count us out.

"I think we've shown that over the past four years that we play kind of a different brand of baseball that you can't quantify. Maybe steal some wins. But it's going to be a good year in the AL East."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/ubaldo-jimenez-i-know-i-can-do- better.html

Ubaldo Jimenez: "I know I can do better"

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - We've arrived at Day 2 of the Orioles' spring training workouts. And with the physicals done, they return to a normal schedule that gets players on and off the field earlier than yesterday.

The highlight remains the bullpen sessions. Nothing against pitchers fielding practice, but ... the highlight remains the bullpen sessions.

Ubaldo Jimenez will throw today while continuing to focus on repeating his delivery. It's a daily battle for a guy whose arms and legs tend to fly in all directions.

Lower the hands and raise the expectations.

"I'm just trying to get better with the whole package, not only one thing," he said. "Just trying to be consistent. That's one of the main things in order to get deep into the game."

Jimenez doubled his win total from six to 12 last season, lowered his ERA from 4.81 to 4.11 and reduced his WHIP from 1.516 to 1.359. His walks per nine innings dropped from 5.5 to 3.3.

Jimenez also gave the Orioles more innings, increasing his total from 125 1/3 in his first season to 184, but he wasn't as effective after the All-Star break. He was 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in the first half and 5-6 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.465 WHIP in the second half.

"I think it could have been better," he said. "I improved compared to the year before, but I know I can do better. I'm excited for this year. It's a new beginning. Every year is a new beginning. I have to work hard to get ready for the season."

He's got two remaining on his contract worth a guaranteed $26.5 million. His importance grows with Wei-Yin Chen's departure. Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez need bounceback seasons. Kevin Gausman needs to take the next step, and Jimenez needs to put together two good halves.

Does the rotation need to step up?

Even Captain Obvious rolls his eyes at that question.

"Yeah, especially with what they've been able to do the years before," Jimenez said. "This is baseball. It's tough. You're going to have a (down) year, but they have a lot of time. And I bet they are really hungry to show what they are capable of doing."

Meanwhile, manager Buck Showalter has enjoyed watching the continued maturation of his young pitchers as they become leaders in camp. More examples came this week.

"It's kind of funny watching a lot of the guys go through some things and lead stuff that was the other way around in years past," Showalter said. "Watching Zach (Britton) and Chris (Tillman) and Miguel (Gonzalez) walk some of our guys through it, new guys. It was kind of cool to watch."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/wrapping-up-the-first-workout.html

Wrapping up the first workout

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 19, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - I listed 14 pitchers in my last blog entry who threw bullpen sessions today. Non-roster right-hander Todd Redmond also was scheduled, but he left camp to attend to a family matter. He's expected to return within the next few days.

There were plenty of other arms to hold manager Buck Showalter's attention.

"I checked off the guys before today that I was going to be sure I got to see and didn't miss," Showalter said. "I don't know (Dale) Thayer that well, (Odrisamer) Despaigne. I wanted to see (Andy) Oliver, and of course (Parker) Bridwell and (Chris) Jones.

"I didn't need to spend a lot of time with Zach (Britton) or (T.J.) McFarland or Mike Wright or (Mychal) Givens or (Oliver) Drake or (Tyler) Wilson, but I still watched them. I had some guys that I wanted to be sure I didn't miss. It was a good first day."

Dylan Bundy is slated to throw on Saturday. He's headed to the bullpen on opening day if he remains healthy.

Showalter indicated that Bundy won't be restricted to one inning in exhibition games.

"I'm not sure exactly what they're going to do, but I think you'll see him pitch more than one inning," Showalter said. "That's part of the problem having 30 pitchers. There are only so many innings. We'll play some intrasquad games, we'll take every B game if someone will cooperate with us. But the problem with that is we might want to play 10 and we can only find one team to play us. Once. It's hard."

Bundy wants to compete for a rotation job in 2017. The Orioles want him to be healthy and productive enough to warrant a spot in the competition. However, he's got to build up his innings.

"It's going to be a challenge," Showalter said. "If he can show us his health is behind him, the bad health, you'd like to figure out a way to get him back into a starting pitcher mode. That situation is not going to present itself initially, but who knows?

"The only thing you worry about is the lack of innings. You can't start a guy that's only got throw 70 innings on a year. I think we're trying to take one step at a time where, OK, let's make sure he's healthy, and this is the way we like him, and if he's healthy, we can feel confident he can help us. That's going to be a challenge. It might be a winter ball thing. It might be where we can get him to the point where the innings are there. I do know that where he's concerned, the physical part of it is there. If he has a hiccup, he's been down every street you need to be to be healthy, and we're going to let him go this spring.

"I can't wait until you all ask him how he felt after a start. Why are you asking me, 'How did your elbow feel or whatever?' He's a little sensitive about it, probably because I made him that way.

"We will figure out ways for him to get him innings. It depends how hard you want to work, I'm talking about us, and how innovative you want to be with it. We'll get the innings. Twin Lakes is a short distance for them to come over here and for us to go over there. We've got a minicamp up and running over there."

The Orioles still don't have a firm grasp on the number of innings Bundy needs to pitch this summer. They'll figure it out.

"It's some uncharted territory," Showalter said. "I'll tell you, it's like a Rule 5 guy. You take him, they're going to pitch. He goes north, he's pitching. And the other team is going to tell us whether he's very good or not. The toughest thing for us will be if he's healthy and not effective. It's not good.

"I'm looking at it that he's going to pick up where he was a couple of years ago before all this happened and remind everybody why he was so well thought of. All of a sudden, everybody will be going how lucky we are to have an arm like that in the bullpen and how are we going to figure out a way for him to start? That's where I'm hoping we get to."

Showalter confirmed again that Bundy won't be able to break camp as a starter.

Asked about the minimum number of innings that the club could project for Bundy to enable him to start, Showalter replied, "I will tell you that number is probably not attainable by him physically this year.

"It could be at some other point in the season, but to start the year, knowing that X number of innings you're going to have to slow down, it's a pretty proven tried formula that you're asking for trouble if you do that. We'll see. I hope he has a great year and we're all trying to figure out how far can we push him.

"I'll be frank with you, we're going to have to take it as it goes. Now I just want to see him get on the mound, have a good look on his face and he's got that extra quarter inch.

"He's excited. I told him when he left here, 'The cup's half full. It's time to go, you've got all these things behind you. Look how much you realize how fleeting it all can be. Let's go.'

"He deserves some good things to happen to him."

I wrote earlier today that Chris Lee appeared to impress the Orioles during his bullpen session.

"Chris, doing your homework on him, that pulse ain't rapidly beating," Showalter said. "You hear a lot of people talk to him and being around him a little bit in the minicamp, he's ... That's one of the things you like about him. It's pretty easy in a lot of ways.

"He's one of those guys you can kind of tell it's kind of getting good to him. There are some things they did with him when he came over. He ticked from 90-91 to, the last instructional league he was 95-97 with a good delivery. I had heard the report and I asked Ben (Werthan), 'Hey, can you pull up the tape on him from the instructional league?' It was a good, clean delivery.

"He's real intriguing. I'm telling you, he's kind of flat line when it comes to ... We'll see when the lights go on, but I'm intrigued by him. It's going to be fun to watch. We'll see if it carries over into here, what he left with."

Showalter said he still envisions Mike Wright as a starter in camp despite suggestions that the right-hander may transition into a late-inning relief role.

"He came up and pitched lights out the first time and pretty good outing the second time and then had some bumps. The world's full of that," Showalter said.

"I'm viewing him as a starting pitching candidate for us. Those other things are down the road. That's where all clubs, and especially us, where our needs are. Mike, he's done some things statistically in Triple-A that some people haven't done who are currently here that we're thinking about, whether it's a (Kevin) Gausman or whoever. Whatever you want to make of statistics, pretty good."

The Orioles will stretch out Brian Matusz again this spring, but not necessarily by starting him.

"I think we're going to probably stretch him out, but from a relief standpoint," Showalter said. "Unless one (start) falls for him. But he'll get multiple innings."

The list of pitchers scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Saturday includes Bundy, Matusz, Ubaldo Jimenez, Darren O'Day, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Vince Worley, Brad Brach, Jeff Beliveau, Kevin Gausman, Cesar Cabral, Jason Garcia, Hunter Harvey, Ashur Tolliver and Andrew Triggs.

And finally, Showalter was asked how it felt to walk into the clubhouse and see Matt Wieters, who accepted the qualifying offer rather than test free agency.

"Oh, baby," he said. "Just like O'Day. You want to go over and hug them.

"Matt didn't want to go. Trust me. He's got some business he wants to finish here. I'm hoping he has a great year and he finishes his career here. We'll see."

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/orioles-complete-their-first-workout.html

Orioles complete their first workout

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 19, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' first workout today lasted about 2½ hours, including the stretching exercises.

Pitchers did the usual fielding drills, coming off the mound to scoop up slow rollers or cover first base. They also ran sprints. Manager Buck Showalter, fungo bat in hand, lectured different groups.

It was a typical first day.

The bullpen sessions were broken down into five groups:

Zach Britton, T.J. McFarland and Dale Thayer Pedro Beato and Odrisamer Despaigne Chad Roe, Mike Wright and Mychal Givens Andy Oliver, Tyler Wilson and Oliver Drake Chris Jones, Parker Bridwell and Chris Lee

Double-A Bowie pitching coach counseled Lee, putting an arm around his waist as they spoke. Lee completed his session and received a fist bump from Mills and multiple pats on the back from Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace.

The Orioles really like him.

Manager Buck Showalter will meet with the media around 2:45 p.m.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2016/02/ubaldo-jimenez-can-offer-advice-to-any- pitcher-who-signs-late.html

Ubaldo Jimenez can offer advice to any pitcher who signs late

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com February 19, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. - As the Orioles attempt to sign another starting pitcher, with Yovani Gallardo still atop the wish list while negotiations drag on, Ubaldo Jimenez can tell them a thing or two about arriving late to camp and getting acclimated.

The Orioles didn't sign Jimenez until Feb. 19, 2014, five days before they brought in outfielder Nelson Cruz.

"It's going to take a little bit of time," Jimenez said today. "It doesn't matter if you tell yourself it's not. It will because it's a different adjustment. You have to come to a new team, you're meeting new guys and new pitching coaches. It's a new adjustment, but he's a veteran guy. He's been in the big leagues for eight, nine years, so he's going to find a way to get where he needs to be."

The Orioles are trying to reach agreement with Gallardo. I was told a few days ago that the main holdup involves the amount of guaranteed money. Whatever the case, both sides have stayed optimistic.

The club also retains interest in Tim Lincecum, proving that you never can have enough starting pitching.

No matter who arrives in camp, the rest of the staff will be ahead of them. Jimenez can relate.

"Probably knowing a couple of the guys makes it easier for everyone," he said. "You know somebody in the clubhouse who makes you feel comfortable."

The rotation still has a hole in it from Wei-Yin Chen's departure. Jimenez said he'll miss his former teammate.

"For sure," Jimenez said. "He's a great guy. Not only a good pitcher, but a great guy in the clubhouse. But it's a part of baseball. You have to move on. You get new teammates every day, but we're definitely going to miss him because he's a great guy."

Jimenez doesn't stay glued to the Internet for repeated updates, but he's aware of the Orioles' plans to add at least one more pitcher.

"Of course, you pay attention to the team you play for and hope we improve every year and sign new guys," he said. "Especially the guys who came back, we needed that. I was really excited, looking for news every day that they'd come back.

"That's what I was expecting. Having everybody back together obviously took a lot from the front office to go out there and bring those guys back. It wasn't going to be easy because they are really good and everybody was going to be competing for them."

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/none-left-os-rotation-will-be-without-a- southpaw.html

None left: O's rotation will be without a southpaw

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 22, 2016

Will having an all right-handed rotation be a problem for the Orioles? Last year, right-handers made 131 of 162 O's starts. Wei-Yin Chen's 31 starts were the only by any left-hander. Will they go 162-for-162 this year?

When the Orioles officially add Yovani Gallardo, he will join holdovers Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Kevin Gausman and Ubaldo Jimenez. No lefty anywhere.

But there are some reasons to think it will not be an issue. For one, the other four American League East teams last year all hit better versus left-handed pitching.

A look at team averages and OPS versus left-handers and right-handers:

* Boston against left-handers (.272/753) and against right-handers (.263/.735) * New York against left-handers (.257/.749) and against right-handers (.248/.741) * Tampa Bay against left-handers (.260/.759) and against right-handers (.248/.703) * Toronto against left-handers (.278/.818) and against right-handers (.266/.791).

Those four AL East teams all ranked among the top six teams in the league last year in OPS versus left-handed pitchers with Toronto first, Tampa Bay third, Boston fourth and New York sixth. They can hit lefties pretty well.

Against right-handed pitching, Toronto also ranked first with New York tied for fourth, Boston seventh and Tampa Bay 13th. New York's OPS was eight points lower against right-handed pitchers with Boston (18 points), Toronto (27 points) and Tampa Bay (56 points) all less potent on the stat sheet versus right-handed pitchers. In fact, those other AL East teams were worse against right-handed pitchers in both batting average and OPS.

On the other hand, if those teams stack lefty batters against O's starters, based on last year, the O's might be equipped to handle that.

Miguel-Gonzalez-white-sidebar.pngThree of their projected five starters posted solid numbers against left-handed batters. The two that could improve are Gallardo and Gonzalez. Gausman gave up an average of .223 and slugging percentage of .358 versus lefties. Those numbers were .225/.392 for Jimenez, .259/.361 for Tillman, .270/.425 for Gallardo and .277/.487 for Gonzalez. Gonzalez's slugging percentage against lefty batters was among the worst among AL starters last year.

Chen was very good last season versus lefty batters with an average against of .217 and .326 slugging. But then again, as I pointed out, the AL East teams enjoy facing left-handed pitchers better. While Chen was kept from facing Toronto in 2015, he had a respectable 3.41 ERA against the other AL East teams.

Meanwhile, Gallardo last year made two regular-season starts versus Toronto and did not give up a run or even an extra-base hit. Over 13 2/3 innings, he allowed six singles with five walks and six strikeouts. Toronto had both a .136 batting average and slugging percentage against him in those outings.

Gallardo then pitched Texas to a win over Toronto in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. He went five innings, allowing four hits and two runs as Texas won 5-3.

How did Gallardo fare against the other AL East teams in 2015? He went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts versus Boston, 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA over two starts against New York and 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two starts versus Tampa Bay. In those six starts, he was 3-2 with a 4.81 ERA. He also had one start versus the Orioles where he pitched six scoreless innings.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/the-gallardo-agreement-its-impact-on- draft-picks-and-other-notes.html

The Gallardo agreement: Its impact on draft picks and other notes

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 21, 2016

If the Orioles wind up losing their top two draft picks for the second time in three years, they could wind up in better shape this time. The O's will lose their No. 14 pick when the team's agreement with pitcher Yovani Gallardo becomes official. They could lose a second pick if they sign outfielder Dexter Fowler, who they are pursuing.

They parted with two picks to sign Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz before the 2014 season. In the following draft that June, the Orioles' first selection was not until the third round and No. 90 overall after the forfeited picks.

This year, should they part with the two picks, they will still hold four picks among the first 91 selections with picks at Nos. 54, 69, 76 and 91. So they will make four draft picks in about the same span in which they made just one in 2014.

The No. 54 pick is the Orioles' second-round pick and they have another second-round pick at No. 69 for not signing high school pitcher Jonathan Hughes, drafted in Round 2 last June. duquette-sunglasses.jpgThey have not signed Fowler yet, but at this point, why not part with two picks to give the 2016 team help in two badly needed areas - the rotation and corner outfield? Fowler would bring a capable leadoff hitter and table-setter with a career .363 on-base percentage. He would cost the Orioles the No. 29 pick, which would actually become No. 28 when the O's lose the pick for Gallardo.

Meanwhile, let's talk draft and international signing dollars for a moment.

Baseball America recently obtained the bonus pools for the 2016 First-Year Player Draft and international signing period. Each draft pick in the top 10 rounds comes with an assigned bonus slot, and each team's bonus pool is the sum of each bonus slot.

Before the Orioles lose any 2016 picks, their draft pool for 2016 would be $10,456,900, per , which is the sixth highest for any team. Their international pool will be $2,539,600, which is 15th highest. The overall combined total of $12,996,500 rates as eighth highest in baseball.

But now the subtractions. The No. 14 pick is projected to have a slot value of around $2.97 million for this year and the No. 28 pick would be around $2.1 million. The Orioles would lose a huge chunk of their 2016 draft pool by adding Gallardo and Fowler.

But the club still would have four picks in the top 91 and the chance to get some good talent in June, in addition to adding some needed talent to the 2016 major league team.

By the way, while Gallardo has a $35 million guarantee from the Orioles, former O's lefty Wei- Yin Chen signed with the Marlins for five years and $80 million.

Career comparison:

Chen: 3.72 ERA, 1.252 WHIP, 1.2 homers per nine innings, 4.14 FIP, .262 average against Gallardo: 3.66 ERA, 1.317 WHIP, 0.9 homers per nine innings, 3.75 FIP, .249 average against. Is signing the duo and parting with the picks the right move by the Orioles?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/when-it-comes-to-starting-pitchers-do- some-teams-prefer-quantity-over-quality.html

When it comes to starting pitchers, do some teams prefer quantity over quality?

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

When it comes to starting pitchers, is more now better?

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci wrote about this recently in a season preview column. He sees a trend developing in the sport where there seem to be fewer workhorse pitchers. With fewer pitchers that can give you a lot of innings, teams are using more starting pitchers to cover those innings than ever before.

"Teams now want to divide the work among more and more arms," Verducci writes. "Only 78 pitchers last season worked enough to qualify for the ERA title (162 innings); the rate of 2.6 pitchers per team was the lowest in history. Over the past two years, 14 teams had four pitchers qualify, but more of those teams with stable rotations missed the playoffs (eight) than made it (six). Even the two richest teams in baseball, the Dodgers and Yankees, have embraced this Theory of Big Inventory - essentially using floating 25-man pitching staffs with a stockpile of major-league ready arms.

"It's a winning formula. The Royals won the title last year despite getting fewer innings from their starters than any team in the American League. Kansas City used more pitchers just to win Game 1 of the 2015 World Series (seven) than it did to win the entire seven-game 1985 World Series (six)."

The Orioles had three starters qualify for the ERA title last year, above that 2.6 average. Wei-Yin Chen led the staff with 191 1/3 innings with Ubaldo Jimenez pitching 184 innings andChris Tillman 173 innings. The 2014 Orioles also had three pitchers do this, but Miguel Gonzalez missed by just three innings of becoming a fourth.

Here is a look at the 2015 AL playoff teams:

* Toronto had four pitchers over 162 innings and eight make five or more starts. * New York had one starter pitch 162 innings and seven make five or more starts. * Kansas City had two starters over 162 innings and eight make five or more starts. * Texas had two throw 162 innings and nine pitchers make five or more starts. * Houston had three pitchers over 162 innings and nine make five starts or more. We have now reached the point where if a pitcher can throw 200 or more innings, he will be among the top 15-20 in the league in innings pitched each year.

Number of AL pitchers throwing 200 innings:

2011: 19 2012: 12 2013: 20 2014: 17 2015: 14

In that time, Tillman and are the only Orioles to do that. Guthrie threw 208 innings in 2011, and Tillman threw 207 1/3 innings in 2014 and 206 1/3 in 2013.

The Orioles rotation was both more stable and better in 2014. That season, O's starters pitched a total of 954 innings to rank 10th in the AL. Last season, O's starters combined to throw 916 innings to rank 13th in the league.

Are the 2016 Orioles gearing up for Verducci's "Theory of Big Inventory." In addition to Tillman, Gonzalez, Jimenez, Kevin Gausman and possibly Yovani Gallardo, they have several other rotation candidates. That list includes Vance Worley,Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson,Odrisamer Despaigne and T.J. McFarland. There is also the potential for Brian Matusz to come out of the bullpen and start, and even Jason Garcia is a possibility, along with minor league pitchers now on the 40-man, including Chris Lee, Chris Jones and Parker Bridwell.

The Orioles do not come up short in the inventory department and those are just pitchers that are already on the 40-man roster.

So has the sport changed as Verducci suggests? With fewer 200 inning pitchers and workhorses, are teams now more concerned with the quantity of their rotation candidates to spread the load as they try to cover as many innings as possible?

Is the day of counting on and/or hoping for five or six pitchers to make the starts all year over?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/a-few-notes-on-the-orioles-agreement- with-pitcher-yovani-gallardo.html

A few notes on the Orioles' agreement with pitcher Yovani Gallardo

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 20, 2016

So it is done and this time it seems pretty final, if not yet official. The Orioles have agreed to sign free agent pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a three-year deal worth $35 million with an option for a fourth year.

A $35 million deal will bring the Orioles' free agent spending this offseason to a total of $249.8 million.

They previously re-signed Chris Davis to a seven-year deal worth $161 million. They re- signed Darren O'Day to a four-year deal worth $31 million. They re-signed Matt Wieters to a one-year deal worth $15.8 million when he accepted their qualifying offer. They signed outfielder Hyun Soo Kim to a two-year deal worth $7 million.

The Orioles will lose the No. 14 pick in the 2016 draft for this acquisition. The projected slot value for that pick is $2,973,150. That is taking the 2015 value of the No. 14 pick and adding 4.6 percent, which is the bump this year, according to Baseball America.

Last year for the Texas Rangers, Gallardo went 13-11 with an ERA of 3.42. He was 7-8 with an ERA of 2.62 in 19 starts in the first half and 6-3 with an ERA of 4.69 in 14 starts in the second half.

While his strikeout rate has decreased since 2012, a concern for some fans and analysts, Gallardo's ERA also decreased over that span to a career-low mark last year.

2012: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 9.0 and 3.66 ERA 2013: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 7.2 and 4.18 ERA 2014: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 6.8 and 3.51 ERA 2015: strikeouts per nine innings rate of 5.9 and 3.42 ERA

More notes on Gallardo:

* His career ERA of 3.66 ranks first among the projected five O's pitchers for the starting rotation if you factor him into the mix. Next is Miguel Gonzalez at 3.82, then Ubaldo Jimenezat 4.01, Chris Tillman at 4.20 and Kevin Gausman at 4.21.

* Gallardo's career .576 win percentage would rank first among the O's five starters, while his .249 career batting average against would rank second, only behind Jimenez at .242.

* Gallardo has made 13 career starts against American League East teams that are not the Orioles, going 8-4 with an ERA of 3.54. Of his 33 starts for Texas in 2015, nine came against AL East teams. In those games, he went 5-2 with a 3.04 ERA. He went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00 over two starts against Toronto. He pitched six scoreless innings in the Rangers' 2-0 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on July 2.

* Gallardo features a solid career groundball rate of 46.7 percent. Those numbers the last three years starting in 2013 are 49.2, 50.8 and 49.3 percent.

* On the plus side, Gallardo ranked 11th among AL starting pitchers in 2015 in ERA, ninth in groundball percentage and seventh in left-on-base percentage at 77.2. But on the down side, he pitched fewer than six innings in 14 of his last 16 starts after going six or more frames in 11 of his first 17 starts.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman first reported the agreement with Gallardo.

What is your take on the deal?

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2016/02/a-look-at-the-orioles-minor-league-early- camp-roster.html

A look at the Orioles' minor league early camp roster

By Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com February 19, 2016

About nine days before Orioles minor league pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training, a group of 37 players will report for an early camp in Sarasota, Fla.

The list includes 18 pitchers, four catchers, nine infielders and six outfielders. They'll report to the O's Twin Lakes complex starting next Tuesday, Feb. 23.

This will give this group of players an earlier start to their season and some of these players could be used by the Orioles in early exhibition games that start on March 1. Here is the early camp roster:

Pitchers:

Additon, Nick Cleavinger, Garrett Doyle, Terry Gonzalez, Brian Gunkel, Joe Hart, Donnie Hess, David Horacek, Mitch Jones, Cory Keller, Jon Leyva, Lazaro Meisinger, Ryan Miranda, Ariel Okajima, Hideki Peralta, Ofelky Rodriguez, Richard Scott, Tanner Stoffel, Jason

Catchers:

Mercedes, Yermin Murphy, Alex O'Brien, Christopher Wynns, Austin

Infielders:

Almanzar, Michael Dosch, Drew Joseph, Corban Marin, Adrian Mountcastle, Ryan Reyes, Jomar Rosa, Garabez Terdoslavich, Joe Wilkerson, Steve

Outfielders:

Davis, Glynn Gonzalez, Jay Hart, Josh Latimore, Quincy Stewart, DJ Yastrzemski, Mike

Other important dates for O's minor league camp:

March 3 - Staff reports March 4 - Pitchers and catchers report March 8 - Position players report March 16 - Minor league exhibition games begin April 7 - Opening day in the minors

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14814491/yovani-gallardo-baltimore-orioles-agree-contract

Yovani Gallardo, Orioles agree to 3-year, $35M contract

By Eddie Matz / ESPN.com February 21, 2016

BALTIMORE -- Free-agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo and the have reached agreement on a three-year, $35 million contract, according to ESPN and media reports.

For Orioles, Yovani Gallardo worth the risk ... and the draft pick Filling a glaring rotation hole by adding veteran Yovani Gallardo is a move the Orioles had to make, even though it costs Baltimore a first-round pick.

Sources told ESPN the deal also includes a fourth-year option for $13 million.

Gallardo, who turns 30 later this month, is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA in nine major league seasons, the first eight coming with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Last year, pitching for the Texas Rangers, he went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA, but struggled in the second half, posting a 1.72 WHIP and lasting six innings just twice in 14 outings. He made 33 starts, marking the seventh straight season in which he started at least 30 games and worked 180- plus innings.

As a result of signing Gallardo, who declined a qualifying offer from Texas, the Orioles must surrender the 14th overall pick in this June's amateur draft. Gallardo fills the void created by the departure of free agent Wei-Yin Chen, joining an all-right-handed rotation that currently features Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Gausman.

The Orioles are also expected to sign outfielder Dexter Fowler, a move that would cost the team its second-round draft pick.

Fowler had been discussing a multiyear deal with the team in the range of $12 million to $13 million annually, for either two or three years, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney earlier this week.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/redmond-had-good-excuse-being-late-camp

Redmond had a good excuse for being late to camp

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 22, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. – Todd Redmond’s second try to make the Orioles was delayed for a very good reason.

Redmond, and his wife Leigh Anne, are parents of Wyatt, who was born on Friday.

Three years ago, Redmond was in spring training with the Orioles, but was lost on a waiver claim to Toronto in March. In November, he signed a minor league contract with the Orioles.

Redmond was in Sarasota a week ago, but left because the baby was due. Because the baby was late, labor was induced, but had to be delayed until Friday.

He’s back in camp now, and will throw a bullpen on Monday.

“Everybody’s been real supportive and able to get the stuff I needed to do to get done, and get back over here and so I could start up again,” Redmond said.

He’s happy being back with the Orioles and reunited with pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti, with whom he worked with the Braves organization in 2012.

“You’re coming back to guys that you know. You’re not going to a blank slate,” Redmond said.

There are many pitchers Redmond would have to jump past to gain a spot on the Orioles, and he thinks the staff is likely to be a strong gone.

“It’ll be real good. The way things are going with the new signing, we’re going to be a very good contender this year, and I can’t wait to be part of it,” Redmond said.

He’s already got a career path chosen for his son.

“He’s going to be a pitcher, but whatever he wants to do, I’m happy with,” Redmond said. “If I can finagle it to be a lefty, that’s fine with me, unless he’s a righty that throws real hard.”

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/showalter-knows-gallardo-move-has- implications

Showalter knows Gallardo move has implications

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. – Once Yovani Gallardo’s signing is official with the Orioles, he’ll join a staff of exclusively right-handed pitchers.

Gallardo will join Kevin Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman as starters.

“All right-handed starters in the big leagues better be able to defend themselves against left- handed hitters. Sometimes that separates them from being a starter or a reliever. And all left- handed have to be able to defend themselves against right-handers,” manager Buck Showalter said.

There were several contenders for the fifth starting spot: Odrisamer Despaigne, Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright and Vance Worley. Their chances to make the club narrow, and Showalter is sensitive to that.

“There’s a lot of things that can put some people that think it might affect them right back where they were. There’s a lot of things whether it be another move or injuries or what have you. You’ve got to keep grinding, and they will. They will. This is something they’ve been hearing and it’s not the first time it’s been there, but it’s something you need to be sensitive to,” Showalter said.

Showalter isn’t sure where Gallardo will be slotted in the rotation, but he’s researched it.

“I’ve looked at it ever since we thought it had a chance. You have to. You have to get ahead of it. We’ve already pulled up all our guys’ and the potential guys’ numbers versus opponents we face in April and against our division. We’ve got all of that. You could probably look at that and see where it might work. We do get to play with that in April before rain and a lot of other things get in the way. But as far as those things, I think that’s to be determined,” Showalter said.

A player will need to be removed from the 40-man roster to accommodate Gallardo. Even though the Orioles have 22 pitchers, Showalter doesn’t guarantee it will be a pitcher.

Either way, the decision that Showalter and executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette makes will be hard.

“Dan asked me to poll around the coaches in the meeting in the morning which we’ve done the last couple of days. I’ve got what Dan’s thinking. We’re all looking at the same factors in it. We’ve got some guys who are out of options, some guys that have options,” Showalter said. “I don’t think it means it’s going to be a pitcher.”

NOTES: Infielders Paul Janish and Trey Mancini reported today as did outfielder Mark Trumbo. … Pitcher Todd Redmond remains absent due to a personal matter.

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/beliveau-hoping-complete-comeback-orioles- camp

Beliveau hoping to complete comeback in Orioles camp

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. – It looks unlikely that Jeff Beliveau will begin the season on the Orioles’ roster. However, the left-hander who had labrum surgery last April, has a chance to make an impact on the team later on.

Beliveau signed a minor league contract with the Orioles in December and threw during last month’s minicamp. He also threw a limited bullpen on Saturday.

“I feel the more I throw the more I bounce back. My arm feels pretty good. Every step of the way, I’ve been on track. Haven’t had a setback, knock on wood. Basically, I don’t have any limitations, the training staff was telling me, basically just going to take it day-by-day. They’re stressing going slow, not trying to push anything. They’d rather have me in the second half than have me in the first half and not at the end,” Beliveau said.

Beliveau is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in four seasons with the Cubs and Rays.

“I think the biggest thing is when hitters get in there and you get that adrenalin going. I’m still going to go as much as I can go but I think they mean trying to throw back-to-back days off the mound. They’re going to take it slow as far as appearances and back-to-back appearances. Once the hitters get in there, it’s the extra five percent when you’re gearing up and you get that adrenaline going. I think that will be the true test, once the games start.”

The 29-year-old has caught the attention of manager Buck Showalter.

“He’s got good stuff. I remember he came in against us. And initially, you look at the velocity and you kind of go, ‘OK, what’s this guy presenting?’ And an inning or two later, he had done well. So he’s got a presentation that’s different. You just don’t see the ball off of him real well. So his fastball plays up higher than the velocity,” Showalter said.

“It’s always interesting when other guys come in [to see] how others guys do it in different organizations and how they’ve been handled, but I think he’s got a chance to help us at some point.”

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-excited-about-adding-gallardo-mix

Orioles excited about adding Gallardo to mix

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. – Not surprisingly, the reaction around the Orioles clubhouse was overwhelmingly favorable to the team’s addition of Yovani Gallardo.

“It’s letting all of us know that the front office is all in too. Everybody is all-in, so it’s good. It’s good to be a player here. That’s why I wanted to stay here, because I felt they were going to do everything they possibly could to make this team as good as possible and that’s what they’re doing,” J.J. Hardy said.

Hardy spent three seasons playing with Gallardo in Milwaukee.

“He’s proven year in and year out he’s going to be able to compete and give you a chance to win games. From watching from the other side, watching him on the mound, I love the guy’s mentality on the mound and how he goes after it,” Matt Wieters said.

“He’s as consistent a starter as there’s been. Not only does it help our staff because he’s a great pitcher, it also makes the staff that much deeper and everybody feed off each other.”

Chris Tillman will probably remain the No. 1 starter and perhaps Gallardo will be slotted in behind him.

“I don’t know a lot but I know he does the job and does the job well. We’ve got a couple guys who have been around him and I’ve heard nothing but great things. It’s exciting it really is. I found out from other players who texted me. I think they’re excited, we are all excited,” Tillman said.

Ubaldo Jimenez saw Gallardo work in the National League and likes what the Orioles are doing to add players.

“They want to win, they aren’t waiting around to have a great team to give us an opportunity to be better and go after winning the championship,” Jimenez said.

For Kevin Gausman, he follows the news and knows that the Orioles could make another signing since the team’s been linked with free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler, too.

“It shows the last couple of years they’ve been liking having the fan base back. It’s weird because for now this is kind of all I’ve known, is us being really good, so I’ve been spoiled, I guess,” Gausman said.

“2012, they got a taste of it. I was actually in [Instructional League] watching them play the Yankees, that was really cool. Obviously. 2014. I think they’re just ready to win. They like it. They like having the ballpark full, and we do, too. We’re obviously very excited.”

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/blog/orioles-talk/orioles-reach-agreement-gallardo-three-year- deal

Orioles reach agreement with Gallardo on three-year deal

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Mid-Atlantic February 21, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla. -- After a long courtship, the Orioles have agreed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year with right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo. The deal is reportedly for three years and $35 million with an option for $13 million.

News of the deal was first reported by Jon Heyman of The Baseball Network and confirmed by an industry source.

Gallardo, who will turn 30 on Feb. 27, solidifies the Orioles staff. He’ll join Chris Tillman, Kevin Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez.

In 2015, Gallardo was 13-11 and a 3.42 ERA with Texas, his only year in the American League. In nine seasons, the first eight with Milwaukee, Gallardo is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA.

Gallardo’s signing means the Orioles will forfeit their first round pick in June’s draft, the 14th overall pick.

The Orioles have been linked with Gallardo throughout the free agent process, and he’s the last pitcher who required compensation to sign.

Earlier on Saturday, Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette declined to directly address Gallardo.

“We have a number of veteran players that are poised to have good years that we want to have good years. If we could bolster our starting rotation that would certainly help the club,” Duquette said.

Duquette also declined to address speculation about Dexter Fowler, the outfielder the Orioles are also in negotiations with. The Orioles would forfeit the 29th pick in the draft for signing Fowler. That’s a compensatory selection awarded after the team lost Wei-Yin Chen as a free agent.

The Orioles will have to cut a player from 40-man roster to make room for Gallardo once the signing becomes official.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/02/20/reports-orioles-plug-rotation-hole-sign-right-hander- yovani-gallardo

Reports: Orioles Plug Rotation Hole, Sign Right-Hander Yovani Gallardo

By Paul Folkemer / PressBoxOnline.com February 20, 2016

Days after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, the Orioles continued to shape their 2016 roster, reportedly signing veteran right-hander Yovani Gallardo to a three-year, $35 million deal Feb. 20.

The agreement was first reported by MLB Network's Jon Heyman. According to SB Nation's Chris Cotillo, Gallardo will receive $9 million in 2016, $11 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018. The contract also includes a $13 million team option for 2019 with a $2 million buyout.

Gallardo, who turns 30 Feb. 27, is a nine-year major league veteran who holds a career 102-75 record and 3.66 ERA during 247 games (244 starts). He spent his first eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers before coming to the American League for the first time in 2015, going 13- 11 with a 3.42 ERA during 33 starts with the Texas Rangers.

Gallardo brings to Baltimore a track record of durability. He has made 30 or more starts every season since 2009, twice topping the 200-inning mark. He was an All-Star in 2010 with the Brewers and finished seventh in the National League Cy Young voting the following season, going 17-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 2011.

However, Gallardo comes with a few red flags. In 2015, his strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate dropped to a career-worst 5.9, and his fastball velocity dipped to a career-low 90.5 mph. He also averaged fewer than six innings per start. Still, the Orioles may be confident that their strong defense can help overcome Gallardo's lack of swing-and-miss stuff and that their deep bullpen can soak up innings if he's unable to pitch deep into games.

Gallardo will join fellow righties Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman in the Birds' rotation. He'll take the starting spot vacated by lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who left the Orioles for the in free agency.

By signing Gallardo -- who rejected a qualifying offer from the Rangers -- the Orioles will give up their first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in the 2016 amateur draft. Earlier during the offseason, O's executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette stated the Birds weren't interested in giving up their top pick, but Gallardo's asking price apparently dropped to the point that the Birds were willing to reconsider. The Orioles' interest in Gallardo reportedly intensified within the past few weeks, as he was the most high-profile free-agent starter who hadn't yet signed, while the Birds had missed out on all other starting pitcher options this offseason.

The Orioles might not be finished making moves. Now that they've lost their No. 14 pick, they may be more willing to sign another free agent attached to draft-pick compensation -- namely, outfielder Dexter Fowler. Signing Fowler would cost the O's their next-highest pick, currently No. 28 overall. Alternatively, the Birds could pursue other hitting options, such as signing free- agent first baseman Pedro Alvarez (who would not cost a draft pick) or trading for outfielder Jay Bruce.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/02/22/orioles-relief-pitcher-t-j-mcfarland-is-ready-to-face- actual-hitters/

Orioles Relief Pitcher T.J. McFarland Is Ready To Face Actual Hitters

CBS Baltimore February 22, 2016

T.J. joined Ed and Steve to talk about spring training and the upcoming season.

T.J. started off by talking about saying “anytime you improve your team you have to be happy…but at the same time there are enough guys here who are competing for the team.” As for the feeling knowing that Gallardo eliminates a spot for one of those guys competing for a job T.J. said “it’s kind of bittersweet but at the end of the day it helps the team win which is what we all want to do.”

T.J. has the label of being a Buck guy and was asked what does that mean to be a Buck guy and said “just a guy that goes out and does his job, I pride myself on my hard work and that I’m durable…when you’re called upon you do your job no questions asked and you’re successful.”

T.J. also talked about off-season workouts, teammates who have come into camp in shape, and possible rule changes and how they would change his game.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/02/20/orioles-reportedly-sign-gallardo-to-3-year-35m- contract/

Orioles Reportedly Sign Gallardo To 3-Year, $35M Contract

CBS Baltimore February 20, 2016

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Free agent Yovani Gallardo and the Baltimore Orioles have reportedly reached an agreement for a three-year, $35 million contract.

Gallardo is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA with two teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Texas Rangers.

In order to sign Gallardo, the Orioles have surrendered the 14th pick in June’s amateur draft.

The Orioles may also sign Dexter Fowler, which would cost the team a second round draft pick.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/02/19/best-of-the-scott-garceau-show-week-of-02-15-16/

Best Of The Scott Garceau Show Week Of 02-15-16

CBS Baltimore February 19, 2016

Pitchers and Catchers reported to Spring Training this week so this weeks episode of “The Best Of The Scott Garceau Show” features nothing but Orioles talk.

Scott & Jeremy kick off this weeks episode talking about the possibility of signing free agents Yovani Gallardo and Dexter Fowler. They also talked about the alternative options for the Orioles if they don’t sign either of them.

Later, Dan Szymborski with ESPN joined the show to give us his predicitons for the 2016 Orioles season. The Orioles farm system currently ranks near the bottom of the league when it comes to overall skill. It’s hard to imagine the farm system getting any better if the Orioles decide to sign Gallardo and Fowler, forcing them to forfeit the 14th and 29th overall picks. Dan Szymborski expressed his concern, “When you are giving up a first round draft pick you also want to make sure you’re giving it up for a player that can make a real difference. When you’re giving it up for a second or third tier free agent, that’s very concerning because neither Fowler or Gallardo put the Orioles in that much better of a position than they are now.”

To cap off the episode, Oriole relief pitcher Zach Britton joined the show from Spring Training in Sarasota to tell us about his off-season training.

Listen to the full episode here and don’t forget to follow Scott & Jeremy on twitter: @ScottGShow1057 and @JeremyConn1057.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/25479813/report-orioles-agree-to-sign-starting- pitcher-yovani-gallardo

Report: Orioles agree to sign starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo

By Matt Snyder / CBSSports.com February 20, 2016

The top remaining free agent starting pitcher is now off the board, as the Orioles have agreed to sign right-hander Yovani Gallardo, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The three-year contract is worth $35 million.

Gallardo, 29, was 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 184 1/3 innings last season for the AL West champion Rangers. It was his first season in the AL and the seventh consecutive season in which he worked at least 180 innings. SportsLine projects Gallardo to pitch to a 3.75 ERA this coming season.

Gallardo will be slotted somewhere toward the top of the Orioles' rotation. It's likely either Chris Tillman or Gallardo would be considered the ace to begin the season with Ubaldo Jimenez, Kevin Gausman and Miguel Gonzalez look to round things out at the beginning of 2016. Recently-acquired Odrisamer Despaigne as well as Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright and Dylan Bundy could also get looks through some of 2016.

The Orioles were 81-81 last season despite ranking 12th in the AL in quality starts and 14th in rotation ERA (4.53). Adding Gallardo helps, of course, but they also lost Wei-Yin Chen to the Marlins via free agency.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/baltimore-orioles-yovani-gallardo-starting-pitcher-agree-to- 3-year-35-million-contract-022016

Orioles, RHP Yovani Gallardo agree to 3-year, $35M contract The long-rumored agreement between Yovani Gallardo and the Orioles has finally gone down.

By Chris Bahr / FOXSports.com February 20, 2016

The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a three-year, $35 million deal with free-agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo, a source confirmed to FOX Senior MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal on Saturday. Jon Heyman first reported the agreement.

Because the Texas Rangers made Gallardo a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer for the 2016 season — an offer Gallardo rejected — the Orioles will have to send their first-round pick (14th overall) to the Rangers as compensation for signing him.

Gallardo, 29, went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA in 33 starts for Texas last season. He struck out 121 batters in 184 1/3 innings. In his nine-season major-league career, he is 102-75 with a 3.66 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 ratio.

Gallardo will fill a rotation void left by the departure of free-agent left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, who signed with the Miami Marlins. There was a definite need for rotation help after Baltimore's starters finished 25th in the majors with a 4.53 ERA last season.

In addition to Gallardo, the Orioles also retained three of their key free agents this offseason: first baseman Chris Davis, catcher Matt Wieters and reliever Darren O'Day. Wieters accepted his qualifying offer for the 2016 season, while Davis signed a seven-year, $161 million deal and O'Day landed a four-year, $31 million deal.

Meanwhile, center fielder Dexter Fowler and shortstop Ian Desmond — both of whom also have been hurt by the compensation associated with the qualifying offers — remain unsigned with pitchers and catchers already reporting to spring training.

And as Rosenthal first reported last week, the Orioles also might consider Fowler.

Fowler would address Baltimore's outfield need and also provide a leadoff candidate. In 156 games for the Cubs last season, he hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 homers, 46 RBI, eight triples and 20 stolen bases.

Gallardo has pitched at least 180 innings in each of the past seven seasons and was an All-Star in 2010 with Milwaukee.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20160220/ARTICLE/160229974/2416/NEWS?Title=Sprin g-training-offers-bargain-baseball&tc=ar

Spring training offers bargain baseball

By Thomas Becnel February 20, 2016

Spring training baseball games won't start until March 1, but Florida fans can already savor the sights, sounds and smells of the national pastime. The crack of a wooden bat.

The geometry of a newly mowed field.

The gasp from the crowd when a young prospect makes a throw or catch that promises a dream season that could end with the World Series.

Hopes and dreams are part of daily workouts for the in Bradenton, the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota and the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte. Fans get a close-up look at players loosening up and then bearing down on the 2016 season.

The best part is the admission price. There isn't one. No charge.

“You can't beat it,” says Jack Simmons, a Rays fan. “You can't beat free.”

Major and minor league players may hustle through morning workouts, but they often linger when moving from one practice field to another. Some sign autographs, pose for photos and exchange a few words with their fans.

“This is the fun part,” says Allison Dunn, an Orioles fan from Connecticut. “They're horsing around on the field, laughing and joking around.”

There's no rush to spring training. Workouts feel informal. The mood, like the weather, is often warm and sunny.

“I just like to be around,” says Danny Iverson, another Rays fan. “I just like the atmosphere of baseball, the atmosphere of spring training.”

Pirate City and Fruit Farm

The Pirates play spring training games at McKechnie Field, but their workouts are at the Pirate City baseball complex in east Bradenton.

It's a woodsy neighborhood with an elementary school, golf course and Mixon Fruit Farms, where a big poster has been counting down the days to spring training.

Fans often stop for coffee or an orange swirl ice cream cone. Morning regulars include members of the Pirates Booster Club.

“We have a meeting,” jokes Dave Geisel, “and decide what the Pirates should be doing.”

Ron Parton, a retired truck driver in Bradenton, visits Pirate City almost every day.

He parks his van in the shade and leaves his dog, Curly, with bowls of food and drinking water. Then he watches hours of batting practice and fielding drills.

Parton loves the fundamentals of baseball. His favorite player is Pete Rose. He met him once at spring training.

“You could walk right up to him,” Parton says. “As long as you were talking baseball, he could go on and on. You'd have to walk away from him.”

When his daughter visits in March, they'll go to one or two spring training games. In the meantime, he spends his days at Pirate City. He and Curly enjoy their routine.

“I love the fields, I love the palm trees, I love the sunshine,” Parton says. “When I'm up north, I'll look at pictures of Florida and think, it'll be all right.”

Tippecanoe Rays, too?

Charlotte Sports Park is on a lonely stretch of road west of the Port Charlotte Town Center Mall.

There's a Harley-Davidson dealership next to the stadium, in case anyone wants to shop for a hog. There's the Tippecanoe Environmental Park behind the stadium, in case anyone wants to take a walk.

Lots of Rays supporters used to eat at Joe Crackers Sports Grille near the mall. Now it's closed, replaced by Buffalo Wings & Rings, but fans aren't sure it'll be the same.

In the summer, locals root for the Charlotte Stone Crabs minor league team. They love to watch players make their way to the Major Leagues.

“Kevin Kiermaier, he's been a fan favorite since he was with the Stone Crabs,” Simmons says. “, that's another guy that came through here.”

The O's in LOVE

Oriole fans flock to spring training workouts at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.

For breakfast and lunch, many stop at Gus' 12th Street Cafe. In the afternoon, some have a beer at the Jager Tavern and Grill on Tuttle Avenue. Baltimore autograph hounds gather at the players' parking lot on Euclid Avenue.

The Dunn family of fans spend more than $200 in the Orioles fan shop at the stadium. Their swag included black-and-orange visors and T-shirts, along with a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Kyle Dunn, 16, got an Orioles grip for his putter. Last year, he ran into manager Buck Showalter during spring workouts.

“I was like, 'All right!'” he says. “'Hey, Buck!'”

Lisa Crowl of Baltimore takes her kids to Sarasota each February, too.

“We've never been to a spring training game," Lisa says. “We always come for the workouts. They make an effort for the fans, especially the kids. My daughter, she's a Manny Machado fan, so we follow him from field to field.”

Riley, 10, nods her head. She wears a pink Baltimore cap and a black T-shirt that says “LOVE” with an Oriole peeking through a heart-shaped O.

When Machado injured his knee a few years ago, she sobbed. Now he's better and so is she. The third baseman is a strong hitter and smooth fielder.

“I like it when he fields and bare-hands the ball,” Riley says. “I like that part.”

http://m.mysuncoast.com/mobile/play-ball-fans-and-tourism-officials-are-pleased-the- orioles/article_70ec979c-d77d-11e5-b6b5-23b4d3964cac.html

"Play ball!" Fans, and tourism officials are pleased the Orioles are back

MySunCoast.com February 19, 2016

SARASOTA, Fla The Baltimore Orioles are back at Ed Smith Stadium for Spring Training. Fans are happy, and so too is Erin Duggan at Visit Sarasota County. "I believe it's tourism that keeps Sarasota vibrant...and baseball plays such a big piece of that," Duggan said.

How much? Estimates on the economic impact of the one-month has ranged from $40 to $80 million dollars a year.

Hard to believe less than ten years ago, baseball was almost gone from Sarasota. The Cincinnati Reds were packing up their bats and balls and going to Arizona for a better offer. That caused then-Commissioner Joe Barbetta to spring into action.

"I was always a big believer in sports tourism..when I got elected, the economy was going down, '06, '07. I felt we needed to focus on something different because the real estate industry was really hurting," Barbetta recalls.

Barbetta first tried to recruit the to Payne Park, but when the Sox opted to stay in Ft. Myers, the county's attention turned to the Orioles-- who, Barbetta says, were not exactly setting attendance records in Ft. Lauderdale.

Barbetta was pleased to land a deal with the Orioles. But he says there remains to this day some confusion about how the county paid for stadium upgrades.

"There's a misnomer that local residents are paying for baseball when it fact tourists are paying for baseball," he said.

It's true. Every time a tourist stays in a hotel or even rents a condo for a month, they pay an extra 5% for the tourist development tax. Last year it brought $20 million dollars in to Sarasota County. The money goes to beach renourishment, the arts, the rowing park, marketing the county--and the $31 million dollars stadium upgrades.

Duggan says the relationship with the Orioles is even causing tourism to spike in the Mid- Atlantic.

"The advertising we're receiving is beneficial for Sarasota County," she said.