TUESDAY: The Orioles are expected to try and restructure their agreement with Gallardo, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link), and it’s unlikely that the matter will be resolved quickly. It’s a rather risky move on the Orioles’ part, as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun observes that Gallardo’s camp may well not be willing to renegotiate terms. The team would have to be confident it has the internal pitching depth to fill the rotation spot Gallardo would’ve filled, as other available free agent starters will likely come with more injury red flags than Gallardo and may have an even harder time passing the Orioles’ strict physical standards.
7:26pm: The Orioles’ issue with Gallardo is concern over his shoulder, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (links to Twitter). However, as Encina notes, Gallardo doesn’t have a history of shoulder problems, and it’s rare that a 30-year-old pitcher’s shoulder will be 100 percent clean. He further tweets that the Orioles are likely being “super cautious” due to the draft pick forfeiture that is associated with Gallardo, and if Gallardo did not come with that price, the shoulder may not be perceived as a significant issue. Kubatko tweets that the Orioles hope to get the results of additional testing on Gallardo back tomorrow.
2:29pm: It isn’t known whether the Orioles could try to restructure their agreement with Gallardo or back out of it altogether, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter links). Beyond the $35MM commitment, the Orioles are also concerned at having to surrender the 14th overall pick for a player they may feel isn’t up to par physically.
11:23am: The status of the three-year, $35MM agreement between the Orioles and right-hander Yovani Gallardo is “unclear” following some questions that have arisen in Gallardo’s phyiscal, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweeted word from a source that there was “more work to do” on the physical before anything was made official between the two sides, and the team wanted another look at Gallardo’s MRI.
As Passan noted, the Orioles are “notorious medical sticklers,” so it could that this is simply another case of the team being very careful before committing to a major contract. While it’s unusual for a player physical to extend over two days, it’s perhaps not unexpected given Baltimore’s history.
This offseason’s signing splurge notwithstanding, the O’s have generally been hesitant about any sort of major free agent signing under Peter Angelos’ ownership. On several occasions, the Orioles have backed out of agreements with players such as Will Clark, Aaron Sele, Grant Balfour and Jair Jurrjens due to complications that arose from those players’ physicals. As Ken Rosenthal related in a 2013 column about the Balfour controversy, the now-standard practice of teams insisting on physicals before signing players stemmed from the Orioles voiding a 1998 contract with Xavier Hernandez when a post-signing examination revealed Hernandez had a torn rotator cuff.
It isn’t known what specific issue Baltimore has with Gallardo’s physical, as he has been more or less injury-free since a pair of knee injuries in 2008. In fact, Gallardo has been one of the game’s more durable starters in recent years, averaging 191 innings per season since 2009.
That’s hilarious
Did the same thing happen last year? Can’t remember the name of the player
Nope, happened a couple years ago with Grant Balfour. And look how that turned out 🙂
Wasn’t there also a problem with another player failing the Orioles’ physical the same year as Balfour?
believe it was Tyler Colvin who also was burned by med staff
Tyler Colvin I think. May have been another player too.
You are correct. Look how that turned out. The doctors were right. Id much rather have them over check than under check.
That was my point! He was horrible, and we found how good Zach B is as a closer!
yep. agreeing with you.
Balfour was a coincidence though. The O’s docs had concerns about his knee and the knee held up fine. He went down because of completely unrelated arm problems. In the end it turned out they dodged a bullet on that contract; but really it was just pure luck.
You don’t know that. The reason for the O’s dinging him was never released only rumored. Almost certainly they had major issues with his arm, which had been aching for years. Rays blew that one big time.
The knee seemed to hold up fine, doesn’t mean it was. I once heard that nearly half of all pitchers arm trouble are caused by another injury that they try to pitch through, which throws off their mechanics. So they might be a lot more tied together than it seems on the surface. If it were my money I would want to be sure too so it’s hard to criticize the Orioles here
Knees major items for pitchers, hold the stress. Masterson (example) been blaming his bum knee for last 2 years for his arm woes and it directly correlates to the large velocity decrease anyway he has happen regardless from when he injured it early in 2013 and 2014/15 seasons when his 4 seamer went from 94+ to 88-91 and his 2 seamer 90-93 to the upper 80’s.
Knees are very important to pitchers. it throws more stress on the shoulders.
Was going to say that but you beat me to it.
I don’t mind the O’s staff having such tough and thorough physicals either. This is big money they are talking about and they don’t want to blow it if they think his shoulder/knee/etc., won’t hold up.
This is from Roch Kubatko who follows the Orioles more closely than anyone:
Balfour agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal before the Orioles backed out due to concerns over his right shoulder. The Rays signed him for $12 million over two years and released him in April 2015.
Shoulder, not knee
The Orioles medical staff strikes again!
Can they be sued – if so they not ownership should pay up for bad diagnostic
I heard that an ingrown toenail caused the holdup.
To be fair, one of those totally ruined my snowboarding trip a few weeks ago.
Sick it up kid and ride lol
Unreal.I’m about to jump ship.
The Oriole’s medical staff is like the Carfax of mlb free agents. They see it all.
Ah, the infamous glitch in a physical between the Orioles and a FA signing. Where have we heard that before..
Right before there wonderful run in 2014 where they won the AL East. #InBuckWeTrust
Ugh. I meant “their”
You mean the year they were eliminated by the Royals in the ALCS. Maybe you should have put your trust in someone other than Buck after the 2014 season since the O’s went from 96 wins in 2014 to 81 wins in 2015.and most “experts” are predicting the O’s with fewer wins that that this season.
Lol okay
These “experts” are wrong with pretty much every record prediction they have. They also have the Royals winning around 79 games which we all know won’t happen
Some experts do indeed have the Royals at under 80 wins but not all. But you’re right they are wrong pretty regularly But I have to admit I have yet to see even one “expert” predict the Orioles as being an over .500 team in 2016. Now of curse that can change but for now that’s what every prediction I’ve seen about the O’s 2016 season says.
Those “experts” are bias and ignorant. The orioles will have one of the most deadly lineups in all of baseball.
Hot stove “expert” predictions and expected wins are total crapshoots.
How many experts have you seen predict the Orioles to be over .500 over the last 4 years?
Somehow over that period they’ve never finished below .500- and have managed to go 355-293.
Not sure what your problem is with Showalter, but the win/loss numbers speak for themselves.
Other than Mark Trumbo it’s pretty much the same lineup as 2015 and other than HR’s it was pretty much a middle of the pack offensive AL team. And as of today the O’s starting rotation is not as good as it was last year.
Those experts as you call them may very well be “ignorant”. But you appear more bias than they do.
I don’t have a problem with Showalter. Just pointing out the facts and what the experts are predicting. But I am curious about one thing in your post. Why did you only show Buck’s last 4 years when he has been the teams full time manager for their last 5 seasons? His record over the last 5 seasons: 424-386. Still impress but not quite as impressive as the numbers you quote by only taking the last 4 years.
All you people notice are the big names. They picked up a Korean outfielder who looks like he will be pretty good. Additionally, they pickup up a rule 5 outfielder off the Rays system who has great OBP in AAA. And it looks like they will get Fowler too. Their depth can go up against any other team offensive wise. Oh and they were in the top 10 in Runs. They also out-scored the Mets, Cards, Pirates, Cubs, and Dodgers who were all play-off teams. They only scored 11 less than the Royals. So tell me how the offence has to improve? There starting pitching needs to improve. But, if you look at all the starters they had down years and I expect them all to bounce back this year. The lineup and bullpen was strong last year, but the starting pitching was awful. The Orioles will be better than predictions (as they have been.) They have one of the best managers and coaching staffs. And a team is not built with money and individual pieces. The Orioles are one of the most cohesive teams that I have seen in modern history with Buck managing. He brings out the best in players and he gives them a second look. Now tell me, what else about the Orioles would you like to challenge?
He inherited a pretty poor team. I think we can agree on that………..or maybe not.
The man works with the pieces he is given. Considering the success they’ve had with that starting staff, I think he’s done a heck of a job.
My original point is that the Orioles have outperformed expectations/predictions over the past four years, so perhaps the predictions were in error.
To assume they’re going off the deep end in 2016 is a bit much, IMO.
That was his first year with the club. Any time he has taken over a club the first year has not been great. But the next is always better. Look at his history. He also had developing players. Tell me of a team that has won the World Series with a first year manager.
There is a reason why Showalter has never been with a team (except these O’s) for more than 4 years he usually overstays his welcome. For the record Showalter has NEVER won a World Series with any team he’s managed.whether it’s been in his 1st year or currently through his 5th year with the O’s.
As for managers who won WS within their first 4 years with a new team:
Joe Girardi, Yankees, Terry Francona, Red Sox, John Farrell, Red Sox Ozzie Guillen won his in his 2nd year and Bruce Bochy won his in his 4th year with the Giants just to name 5. Girardi, Francona and Farrell are in the Orioles own backyard so to speak. I’m sure there others.who have won in the first few years with a club.
We get it. You don’t think much of Showalter.
Joe Torre 96 Yankees after they fired Buck
Not Joe Girardi but Joe Torre did it in 96 after they fired buck, also the diamonbacks and Bob Brenly in 01 after they got rid of Buck
@ brroscoe, “They also out-scored the Mets, Cards, Pirates, Cubs, and Dodgers who were all play-off teams.” You do realize they are all NL teams playing is a league with no DH and generally speaking bigger ballparks.
As for “They only scored 11 less than the Royals” The Royals were ranked 6th in the AL in Runs the Orioles 7th in 2011. Well behind the Jays, Yankees and even the Red Sox in their own division..
Joe Torre in 1996….Replacing Buck Showalter.
Joe Giradi won with Showalters team., one of two clubs that won the world series the year after Showwater left…In both cases with Teams that Showalter had built ..BTW who did KC pickup this year? Ive seen the prediction “experts” have KCwinning about 78-79 games this year ..and after losing the world series TWICE. can you imagine that ?how unfair.
The Orioles haven’t picked up anyone they need yet exceot to re-sign core players. Thats critical but they need a n outfielder, a leadoff hitter and starting pitching depth (at least.).. If Kim winds up being an impact player in MLB I will be very surprised. The Orioles have had tons of injuries past 2 years and last year it hurt them badly. As a result they way underperformed last year so the smarmy prediction from KC fans (for example) who really don’t know what they are talking about are meaningless.
@ Marco1968., Joe Girardi took over for the Yankees and won his WS in 2009 that was 12 or 13 years after Buck Showalter left. Joe Torre replaced Showalter. BTW, Gene Michael Yankees GM from 1991 through 1995 is the man everyone credits with building the Yankees dynasties of the last 90’s and early 2000’s…NOT SHOWALTER.
Yeah, congrats to the Mets for winning the World Series.
There is also a reason he has been with the Orioles for multiple years. He coached them to their first winning season in around 14 years AND coached them to their first division title in 17 years AND has the most wins in the AL in the last 4 years combined. Look at the coaches you chose who won WS in first 4 years, they were teams that have a history of winning and win every year not a team that has been almost completely rebuilt. Buck is the best manager the O’s have had since Earl Weaver.
There is also a reason why Showalter always was without a managerial job for 2 to 4 years after his Yankees, Diamondback and Rangers gigs. He’s arrogant and ti a less degree was never able to “close” the deal.
arrogance………….right, right, right
And when has double checking a physical ever came back to haunt the Orioles? Never. It’s always better to be safe then sorry. Remember Balfour? He sucked after the Orioles refused to sign him. And for you to say Buck is a bad manager is complete garbage. Maybe you should think before you type.
Will Clark did play for the O’s. Confused.
read this and it brought back memories of Glenn Davis.
After the ’92 season Clark was a free agent and Baltimore wanted to sign him, but they couldn’t get him to take their intense physical (brought on because of the Glenn Davis debacle) before Clark’s agent-imposed deadline., and they left without a deal. The O’s then signed Rafael Palmeiro a couple of days later.
Just when I was happy we finally bolstered our SP. I hope we still move forward with Fowler before before one of the CHI teams signs him from under us
The thing about player physicals is this: every team has a different standard or threshold, because every team does their own physical. We all read that so-and-so failed a physical… but it doesn’t mean that he can’t play for any team, just not that particular team (I believe that the same is true for the NFL also).
To me, that seems a little ridiculous. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a standardized physical, or an independent medical group give the physicals? I don’t know how feasible that is, but it would certainly be more fair to the players, and less risky for the teams.
should contracts come from a centralized fund? It’s a lot of money and I think teams should be able to test their investment before handing over such big dollar amounts..
Absolutely, I don’t mean to imply that there shouldn’t be physicals, just that there should maybe be some standardization of said physicals. Right now, it’s essentially 30 different sets of criteria within 1 league. Maybe 1 set of criteria is extreme… but when we read “Player X has issue with physical”, I know what most of us are thinking: he’s damaged goods. My point, I guess, is to say that he could take 30 physicals and potentially pass the other 29 with flying colors, so “failed physical” maybe isn’t quite he negative connotation that it seems.
You probably didn’t like the teacher using a red pen in school as well because it made you feel bad! Too much sensitivity happening here! Mind blown!
You’re the same person that thinks it’s bad to count outs in little league cuz it might a kid feel bad! Or thinks teachers should use red pens cuz it make someone feel like they’re wrong! Too sensitive!
Prob government run independent medical group. It’s called free market capitalism. I can buy or not buy based on what a product is worth to me! And I can figure in all kinds of factors that may or may not be important to other clubs. Such as health! They’ve learned from their past. Make sure that you have a good return on investment. It’s a fabulous business principal!
Right just like those “freemarket capitalists” on wal street who get interest free money from the ‘big gubmint’ FED then loan it all out at shylock rates. Or use it to inflate their stock with buybacks or get skinned speculating in the global casino then come running back to uncle sugar daddy for another bailout…or the “tech stars” who make a fortune reinventing the cell phone ever year – technology developed at public expense by the military and by public supported research at public universities in the 70s”…what a system if your a white boy with a rich daddy
Haven’t gotten a freebie all my life. Work hard, save, climb the ladder. Put myself through college and paid the bill by working. No parental help. No governmental help. Blue collar poor family that couldn’t afford Groceries in the 90s. At age 30 – an exec in a small business. So don’t talk to me about “gubment” handouts… I work hard and expect the rest of the world to do the same. But smart enough to know most are too lazy and think socialism will save their ass! It’s a bunch of cancer!
Agree with you on what you are saying but this is a baseball website. So, lets keep the political stuff on the political sites.
I think a business should be allowed to spend their $35 million using whatever criteria they please…
Can’t blame the O’s for doing their homework. The impact of signing damaged goods can have a resounding affect on an organization for many years.
Also, though, a more strict physical probably makes players think twice about going there.
Just the Orioles Oriolin’.
Good on them, though.
You also can’t say that Balfour’s knee problem was unrelated to his arm issues. Anybody who knows sports and the human body will tell you it’s all tied together. If Balfour had hidden issues with his elbow he could very easily have adjusted his delivery and caused problems elsewhere while subconsciously protecting the elbow.
So the Orioles were right on Sele, and Balfour, and Jurrjens, and Hernandez, but some on here think there is something wrong with the Orioles for being so thorough?
That crazy Angelos thinks he has a right to get a healthy player for his tens of millions. The nerve of some people!
Putting all your eggs in Albert Belle’s basket will do that to a guy.
What seems to be forgotten in all of this is how this effects the Orioles pursuit of Desmond.
Desmond?
Nothing has changed. They aren’t pursuing Desmond.
Sorry my bad. Apparently I got confused.
Lol why are you commenting all these negative anti-Oriole things when you clearly know nothing about them?
I made one mistake and fessed up to it. Everything else I’ve posted is factually correct.
Unlike “marco1968” above who believe Joe Girardi won his WS with Showalter’s team Girardi won the WS in 2009 and took over from Joe Torre who managed the team for 12 years after Showalter was gone.
Not really sure how that was “anti-Oriole” but can you blame him? This is a last place team right now.
Everybody is in first (or last) place right now.
They will probably walk away unless Gallardo so lowers his price as to give up the value for the pick. Which is unlikely. But he’s damaged goods now, so the O’s have all the leverage. Unless, they care about Fowler.
Why do teams announce signings before completing all of the review and due diligence? You’d think all of that would be taken care of before an announcement – in these cases it really hurts the player but it also makes the organization look bad. As an O’s fan it isn’t going to break my heart if they don’t complete the deal but having these things happen over and over doesn’t help the organization.
The team has not announced the signing. The media has.
Dr Andrews has said MRI’s alone are unreliable for pitchers since almost every MLB pitcher has some abnormal findings due to normal wear and tear. Most pitchers won’t even consider signing with the Orioles unless they have no other options.
That said, Gallardo only went 6 IP twice in his last 16 starts. The early hooks had me wondering if he had a physical issue although there was no velocity decline from 1st to 2nd half.
I suspect the Orioles are backing out because look to be unable to land Fowler, and one without the other won’t do them much good. Both should just wait till June
Unable to land who?
Lol…
Add in the fact that they are unable to develop pitchers…
Gallardo was never hurt. For some reason Jeff Banister never wanted him to face batters the 3rd time through the lineup. They wanted (and got) Fowler no matter what happened with Gallardo so your statement is invalid.
Orioles should keep him. He could blow out his arm and still be better than anyone they can develop.
This is due diligence on the part of a team whose owner is a litigator. I’m not excusing that he’s consistently one of the worst owners in sports, but when you consider the guys they’ve turned down over bad physicals and how they’ve had struggles following, its worth a careful look.
Still not a done deal, but still not a dead deal.
Just my opinion but if I’m Yovani Gallardo I move on. He already from reports agreed to deferred payments and a backloaded deal initially. Rather then give back anything else in either dollars or years if need be he should just wait out until the draft in June when the QO is no longer attached if need be. He will have other opportunities if he just remains calm.
DONE DEAL
Saying Gallardo should move on assumes some other team is interested. It’s not like the Orioles blocked the other 29 teams from signing the guy sometime in the last three months. Everybody else has had a shot at Gallardo and appears to have passed. While the O’s are known and ridiculed for their physicals & medical exams the fact that the last few guys the O’s have red flagged went on to do nothing might be more than a coincidence.
Can’t buy damage goods, who would
3.66era/3.75fip in hitters’ parks for 1473 innings. He had a ton of baserunners last year, but at least you know he can probably pitch in Camden Yards. Chen is gone, so Gausman is now probably their best starter, how weak a rotation can a team win with? Their best pitching prospects are damaged like Harvey and Bundy, do they even have anyone worth mentioning that is close?