What’s happening — Kevin Gausman and the Orioles reached agreement Tuesday on a one-year contract worth $5.6 million plus incentives. Gausman was scheduled for an arbitration hearing Wednesday. He had asked for $6.225 million, and the Orioles countered with $5.3 million.
Gausman was the last of seven arb-eligible Orioles to agree to a contract this year, allowing the club to avoid going to a hearing in 2018.
The agreement saved Gausman and Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette a flight to Phoenix.
Gausman and Dylan Bundy are the only two established starters in the Orioles rotation.
Miguel Castro has been penciled in as a possible starter, and the team could still sign one or two others to join the rotation.
With pitchers and catchers beginning their workouts Wednesday morning, Gausman doesn’t know what to make of the Orioles not signing another starter.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say if I’m surprised, but I think everybody’s surprised by the market right now,” Gausman said. “I feel bad for the guys who are trying to get minor league deals and guys who are right there on the cusp because they’re just waiting. They’re waiting for other guys.
“You think about how many guys are still at home is pretty crazy, but I think we’re kind of surrounded by a lot of young guys right now. It’s pretty exciting. I’ve been here for the last couple of days, and got to see some of these guys throw and the ball’s coming out really good. I’m excited about [Jimmy] Yacabonis and [Stefan] Crichton and all these young guys who have really good arms and just need a little more seasoning.”
The full squad reports Sunday, and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 19. The Orioles’ first game is Feb. 23 in Sarasota.
Something to think about – The Orioles are scheduled to have 60 players in camp — 35 of them pitchers. They have so many that they’ve sent a handful to their auxiliary locker room.
The three Rule 5 pitchers, Pedro Araujo, Nestor Cortes and Jose Mesa, and rookie infielder Ryan Mountcastle are among those who don’t have lockers in the main clubhouse.
One familiar pitcher has a new number and a new name, sort of. Mike Wright, who wore No. 59 for his first three seasons, is now wearing No. 28. His nameplate now reads: “Mike Wright, Jr.”
A name to consider – One of those non-roster pitchers in camp is right-handed pitcher Perci Garner.
Garner, 29, has just eight games of major league experience, posting a 4.82 ERA for the Cleveland Indians in 2016.
He had left knee surgery in December, but says he’s only slightly behind schedule. Garner has been throwing since the middle of last month, he said.
When it came to a decision on signing, Garner considered both Pittsburgh and the Orioles.
“The Orioles, they just seemed like they really liked me and wanted me and wanted what was best for me, and not just to sign another guy,” Garner said.
“I was really interested, and the fact that they were interested in me. And I knew some guys here and I’ve heard some things about the organization. I got to speak with Dan Duquette and I liked the way he handled our conversation.”
What they are saying – “If we don’t sign anybody to the rotation, I’ll be the (the most experienced MLB starter) on our team. So that’s kind of weird to think about because I really haven’t been around very long. But I’m excited about that. It’s a new step, something I’ve always done on every team I’ve been on. But, when you’re 22 and get to the big leagues, you are not going to be that guy.” – Kevin Gausman on his role with the Orioles.
Rich Dubroff covers the Orioles for PressBoxOnline.com. You can read his stories here.
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View Comments
Sad state of the staff
Gausman old man on the block
Lack of locker space
Well, the locker space will eventually thin out.
Dan ... I was kind of expecting your response to be in the form of a haiku.
KG must be a good negotiator to get the O's to go up from his initial offer.
Yeah. Typo. Fixed it.
Check typo...contract numbers backward. If O's had offered $6M+ he would have taken it. :-)
We got it. Nice catch. Thanks for pointing it out.
Why we are in this pitching mess is that the O's really don't have a pitching philosophy. First the physical a pitcher has to go through is worse than anything a Navy seal would. Then this philosophy of not having long term contracts for pitchers. If you are are starter in the minors and get called up you pitch out of the bullpen used for 5 minutes then shipped out to be a starter again. That has to work on the confidence level of a pitcher. When Duquette flys from the nest at the end of the year we need to bring in someone that knows what pitching is about. Who brings in a pitching coordinator with new and fresh ideas. What we have now is a failure.
It’s funny. Duquette brought in a pitching coordinator, Rick Peterson, who is considered one of the more cutting-edge pitching gurus in the game. And he never really meshed with the rest of the organization including Buck and his pitching coaches. And he left. So there ya go.
The Orioles biggest problem is their inability to draft and develop starting pitching. Its has been a combination of poor drafting, coaching, and injuries. We have the Matt Hobgood no 1 pick a few years back. Who was a complete bust. Sedlock seems to be following a similar path though its early still.
Bundy and Harvey both injured. Fortunately the former is staying healthy and pitching well. Many other top picks over the years could not over come injuries. Arrietta didnt pitch well here but turned it around with the Cubs. Was this coaching or a change in scenery?
The Orioles have several young pitchers in the minors like D L Hall who show a lot of promise. They need to draft International players instead of trading their slot money too. If not they will continue to rely on free agents that have been a huge disappointment.
Scary that Gausman is the moat experienced starter on the team at any point.