Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey revealed to reporters that he underwent surgery at the end of last year to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, as Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com tweets. Dickey was the subject of trade rumors over the winter but the club denied actively shopping him.  It’s also not clear if the Blue Jays could have gotten much for the knuckleballer considering that he is entering his age-41 season, only under contract for 2016 and earning $12MM.  News of Dickey’s knee surgery probably doesn’t do much to help his trade value going forward, either.
Here’s more from the AL East:
- Orioles veterans are happy to see the team continuing to make free-agent acquisitions, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun writes.  “He’s an awesome guy,” Hardy said of Yovani Gallardo, who was his teammate for a time. “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.”   On Saturday night, the Orioles and Gallardo agreed to a three-year, $35MM deal with a $13MM club option for 2019.
- The Orioles haven’t landed Dexter Fowler yet, but Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com says the O’s might as well part with two picks in order to fill the 2016 team’s main holes in the rotation and outfield.  Fowler would bring a capable leadoff hitter and table-setter with a healthy career on-base percentage and Melewski feels he would be well worth the draft pick compensation.
- After signing Gallardo, Orioles manager Buck Showalter isn’t sure what the corresponding 40-man move will be, but he says it won’t necessarily be a pitcher, as Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic tweets.
Gallardo isnt great but it’s a good value on the contract. He’s a middle rotation pitcher being paid as such. He is a good replacement for Chen at a better cost. I think if they get Gallardo they will be back to having Markakis like production from the leadoff spot. This team compares much more favorably to the 2014 team then the 2015. The Orioles are being under estimated.
I know you mean getting Fowler, and yes it would give them a better lead off hitter/table-setter than before. If they do take that leap they lose the other top pick, but would gain respect of fans, and I guess, veterans too. It would mean a win now move, good but maybe not a to the top of the division move. But it’s spring and fans can hope.
Its exactly like 2014, but the rest of the division has improved by leaps and bounds. The rays are the real underrated team. Especially when they get to trade a pitcher after the super 2 cutoff to call up snell.
Why would the Jays trade Dickey? They need him as much as anybody else and his trade value is quite low. If they fall out of it maybe move him at the deadline but they are trying to compete and they don’t have five better starters than him.
The Orioles have improved also by leaps and bounds. Gallardo, Kim and Fowler. Not to mention full season from Wieters, Schoop, Hardy. And don’t discount the resignings of Davis and O’Day, plus a full year of Givens added to an already strong bullpen. Could be a real dogfight in the AL East.
You are putting the cart before the horse with some of your projections. Dexter Fowler has yet to sign a contract and still has other suitors. Yovanni Gallardo has reportedly agreed to a contract but has yet to be officially signed pending a physical…something the Orioles are more cautious and deliberate with than some other organizations.
The orioles are definitely looking like a really solid team, especially if they get fowler. Also, I think gallardo at that price is the steal of the off season. Everyone wants to point to his periphreals and his declining K rate. You dont need a high K rate to be successful, gallardo is consistent and works the corners. I still say my jays are taking the east though, but it should be interesting.
Gallardo the steal of the offseason? I think not.
My money would be on the 1 yr/$3M make good contract the White Sox gave to Matt Latos…a deal so cheap that even the thrifty ChiSox would have little problem DFA’ing him should he prove to be a clubhouse problem in 2016.
So Baltimore’s crappy starting rotation has improved THAT much by overpaying for an AT BEST #3 starter in a hitters park, against a hitters division? Really? Come on now, 3rd or 4th place and the loss of 2 NEEDED picks for a team that’s desperate to restock? Seriously?
#3 starter? Gallardo is their ace. He matches up well with Stroman, Price, Tanaka, and Archer. Lol
Once they resigned Davis, any notion of rebuilding was out the window, they pretty much had to spend (and forfeit picks) to try and stay relevant for another few years at that point. But yes, I can’t see them finishing any better than 3rd and more likely they are a 4th place team. Baltimore might have the 2nd-best offense in the division with Fowler (neck-and-neck with Boston), but they have the worst pitching even with Gallardo.
Yes because there’s no way in hell that Gonzalez and Tillman can perform like they did ’12-’14. They’re doomed to keep sucking. Oh and let’s not forget that there’s no way that Kevin Gausman will go on an upward trend, he doesn’t have what it takes. And now Yovanni? Man oh man he’s going to be the ultimate of suck. Worst pitching? Come on man, not even close. The rotation has their first terrible season in 4 years since 2011 and suddenly they won’t be consistent anymore. Give me a break.
Which team(s) in the A.L East do you think they have better pitching than? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m saying their pitching is horrible but the division is strong pitching-wise, you’d have a tough time making a case that their staff is better than anyone else’s. I think they’re a notch below Boston and Toronto’s pitching, and even further back of TB and NY’s.
When you say pitching, you’re talking about the bullpen too but I’m going to assume you just mean the rotation. The bullpens should be fun to watch in that division outside of the Rays (The other four have a nice 3 or 4 back end punch). Now the rotation. Why are the O’s any different than other teams in that division? With the exception of the Rays, the other 4 teams have a lot of ‘ifs’ in their rotations as well. The sure starters in this division? I believe they are Chris Archer, Tanaka, and Price. The Rays have Odorizzi and Smyly backing him up. The Yankees are hoping Pineda stays healthy, Eovaldi can perform, CC makes a comeback, and Severino to stay consistent with his small sample size. The Red Sox have Clay Bucholz to back up Price then are hoping for Porcello to bounce back, Rodriguez to go through a league adjustment and a whole year, and Joe Kelly not to suck. Then the Blue Jays are hoping Dickey ages well, Stroman to go through a whole year, Estrada to stay consistent, Happ to continue what he did for the Pirates, and a whole year out of Sanchez if not a Hutchinson bounce back. The Orioles are hoping for a breakout season from Gausman, Miguel Gonzalez and Tillman to bounce back, Gallardo not to have an awful 2nd half, and Jimenez to not suck (I give this guy a lot of grief). The Rays are the only team with an established rotation in that division. Or better put, they have less ‘what ifs’ in their rotation.
Toronto’s pitching is the worst in the division. All they have is Stroman.
I think the O’s have a solid shot if they sign Fowler. Fowler’s OBP will be a great asset for Machado, Davis, and Jones who are then backed up by solid contributors in Schoop Wieters, and Trumbo. They’ll score plenty of runs. Of course then there’s the starting rotation. I believe Gausman and Gonzalez are going to do big things this season. Gonzalez was hurt and had his first bad season, don’t write him off just yet. I also think that Tillman and Gallardo will be just about average if not slightly above average. Oh and Britton, O’Day, Brach, and a whole season of Givens. That’s all I have to say about the bullpen.
Orioles fan here. Would like to see fowler strike a deal now.