The Orioles have reached out to representatives of free agent righty Dustin McGowan to express interest, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Several other clubs are also believed to be in on the 32-year-old swingman.
McGowan has had a quiet offseason since Toronto declined its $4MM option and set him loose on the market. He opened the season in the Jays rotation, but was hit hard and demoted after eight starts. McGowan showed much more promise in the 43 relief innings that came, working to a 3.35 ERA, upping his strikeout rate to 7.5 K/9, and holding opponents to a sub-.700 OPS.
Amongst a quickly-depleting supply of viable free agent arms, McGowan is notable for his mid-90s fastball. Though he has been much more effective against opposing right-handers in his career, McGowan’s long history as a starter at least supplies him with some tools for attacking lefties in a relief role. And it never hurts to have an additional spot starter if need be.
