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Did the Baltimore Orioles improve, for the moment, by adding outfielder Dexter Fowler and right-hander Yovani Gallardo?

Yes.

Did they improve enough to become a legitimate contender and to justify the draft picks they surrendered?

Not necessarily.

First, the particulars. On Tuesday, the O’s inked Fowler to a three-year, $35 million deal, per ESPN’s Buster Olney. And on Wednesday, they cemented a two-year, $22 million pact with Gallardo with an option that could bring it up to $35 million, per MASN’s Roch Kubatko and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

UPDATE (Thursday, Feb. 25, at 1:11 PM ET): In a shocking development, Fowler spurned the Orioles in favor of a one-year deal to return to the Chicago Cubs, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports (via Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune):

(End of update)

Both deals had been churning through the rumor mill for some time, and Gallardo’s was held up over concerns about the durability of his shoulder, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

Those concerns seem to have shortened the length of the deal from three guaranteed years. But Baltimore apparently decided Gallardo was fit enough to pull the trigger. As Encina noted, Gallardo averaged 191 innings over the past seven seasons, so the track record is there.

So are the stats: In nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers, Gallardo owns a 3.66 ERA and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He’ll slot at or near the top of an Orioles rotation that was counting on Ubaldo Jimenez as its No. 3 option, per MLB.com’s depth chart.

Fowler, likewise, should provide a boost, as FanGraphs’ August Fagerstrom outlined:

Fowler gives the Orioles a third outfielder, something they didn’t previously have — Mark Trumbo doesn’t count. And Fowler gives the Orioles a new leadoff hitter, one who should score plenty of runs batting in front of Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Chris Davis — because, if there’s one thing Fowler does well, it’s get on base. Not only does Fowler draw tons of walks, but he’s been able to run an unusually high BABIP, one that’s been higher than .350 more often than not over his seven big league seasons.

So Baltimore added a top-of-the-lineup hitter with on-base abilities who clubbed 17 dingers last year. And they got a reliable innings-eater who becomes arguably their best starting pitcher. On the surface, that’s unmitigated good news for 2016.

But there is a big, jagged thorn on this rose. Because Fowler and Gallardo were each given qualifying offers by the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, respectively, the Orioles forfeit the No. 14 and No. 29 picks in next summer’s amateur draft.

That’s a steep price to pay for a club with the third-worst farm system in baseball, according to ESPN’s Keith Law. Those picks wouldn’t have fixed the problem by themselves, but they would’ve been a start. The No. 14 pick alone is usually worth somewhere between $15 and $20 million.

Even with this winter’s seven-year, $161 million commitment to Chris Davis, the $31 million over four years they handed reliever Darren O’Day and the Fowler and Gallardo deals, the Orioles don’t swim in the same payroll waters as the division-rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. They need to develop cost-controlled talent to stay competitive for the long haul.

Speaking of division rivals, the O’s have plenty. Boston is reloaded after a last-place finish. The Toronto Blue Jays own baseball’s most potent offense. The Yankees, despite a creaky cast of veterans, have a stacked bullpen and the talent to contend. Heck, even the small-market Tampa Bay Rays are a threat thanks to their stellar defense and exemplary starting pitching.

The Orioles are in the mix. And again, the additions of Gallardo and Fowler make them better. But they don’t make them strong contenders.

Gallardo might be the best starting pitcher on the Orioles, but that says more about the shaky state of Baltimore’s rotation than it does Gallardo’s status as a legitimate ace. Chris Tillman, the other ostensible No. 1, posted a 4.99 ERA last season.

Fowler, meanwhile, has spent the bulk of his career in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. So while the American League East is admittedly filled with bandboxes, it’s worth wondering if his lifetime stats are a predictor of future output.

Maybe Fowler and Gallardo will propel the Orioles—who won the division in 2014 but sank back to .500 last year—to the October stage. Center fielder Adam Jones sounded a positive note.

“That adds a lot of experience,” Jones said of his new teammates, per MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli. “Both of them have been in the postseason, been in big games, big moments, so we want to have them do it with us.”

If everything breaks right, Orioles fans may look back at these moves and smile, draft picks be damned. But make no mistake: Baltimore is mortgaging its future for a far-from-certain shot at current success.

It’s a gamble, and from here it looks like a potentially shortsighted one.

But as spring training kicks off with two more players heading to O’s camp, only one thing is certain: This had better work.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Baltimore Orioles announced Sunday that minor league infielder Ramon Ramirez died in a motorcycle accident Saturday night in the Dominican Republic.

“As a member of the Orioles organization, Ramon worked tirelessly to make the most of his opportunity to play professional baseball,” said Dan Duquette, the team’s executive vice president of baseball operations. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and coaches as we mourn this unimaginable loss.”  

Ramirez joined the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played 32 games that year in the Dominican Summer League, and in 2015, he spent time with Baltimore’s Rookie League, short-season A and High-A affiliates.

In 55 career minor league games, Ramirez batted .238 with 18 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases.

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They tell you nothing is guaranteed until the ink is dry.

Well, the ink on Manny Machado‘s love for his wife, Yainee, has not only dried, but it’s also about as permanent as it gets.

The Baltimore Orioles third baseman had her portrait tattooed and shared a photo to Instagram on Monday. It fills the majority of the available real estate on the inside of his right forearm, featuring a blossoming flower.

[Manny Machado, h/t The Score]

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Chris Davis met with reporters Thursday for the first time since signing the richest deal in Baltimore Orioles history, per the Associated Press’ David Ginsburg.

After back-and-forth negotiations eventually led to a standstill ahead of the winter meetings, Davis and Baltimore finally reached a seven-year, $161 million pact Saturday, which became official Thursday following a medical examination.

Yet the two-time American League home run king said he welcomes the added pressure of living up to the lofty financial figures, per Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com:

The Orioles initially offered Davis a seven-year, $150 million deal in December but pulled back after the first baseman sought more money, according to Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine.

Davis admitted Thursday that the ongoing negotiations left him more anxious than he’d anticipated, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com:

Davis and the Orioles then began seeking other options, and the first baseman had been linked to discussions with the Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, who was then writing for CBS Sports.

Agent Scott Boras flew to Baltimore and met with Orioles owner Peter Angelos and general manager Dan Duquette, which proved to be the breaking point, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun and Ghiroli:

Duquette acknowledged the urgency of re-signing the 2013 All-Star on Thursday, per Encina:

Boras, well-known for pushing his clients to hit free agency and seek the highest dollar figures over all else, was at Davis’ press conference Thursday but wouldn’t elaborate on other offers the first baseman fielded, per Ghiroli:

While it was a celebratory evening at Camden Yards, Nick Shlain of Baseball Prospectus made a valid point in questioning why Davis, who has been with the Orioles for five years, donned a jersey during the press conference:

Davis hopes that the clubhouse environment and established roster will help bring other top free agents to Baltimore in the coming years, per Encina:

While Davis led the AL in home runs in two of the past three years, his 2014 campaign saw him stumble to a .196 batting average, and the team left him off its playoff roster after MLB suspended him for testing positive for Adderall.

While Davis probably squeaked out more than he is worth, the Orioles didn’t want to leave a gaping power void in the middle of their lineup as they hope to improve on last year’s .500 campaign.

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More than two months into the offseason, Chris Davis got his payday. The Baltimore Orioles got an impact hitter. And the battle for supremacy in the American League East got even more interesting.

On Saturday, Davis inked a seven-year, $161 million pact with Baltimore, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The deal ended a protracted standoff between Davis and the O’s and took a premium bat off the market, possibly setting the stage for the Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton dominoes to fall soon.

More than anything, though, the takeaway is that Baltimore kept baseball’s reigning home run leader in the fold. That’s a big deal.

Oh, this contract—the largest in franchise history by a long shot—is a risk, as we’ll get into shortly. But as they attempt to flutter back to the top of a highly competitive division, it’s a risk the Orioles had to take.

First, the good news: Davis is coming off a monster season in which he clubbed 47 home runs, racked up 117 RBI and posted a .923 OPS. In this power-starved era, that’s a stat line worth savoring.

“For a guy like this to hit the market, it’s just an opportunity teams don’t get: a 29-year-old player who has 40-plus home run power, and he’s already hit 50 home runs,” Davis’ agent, Scott Boras, said in November, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Boras was talking up his client, obviously. He also wasn’t wrong.

Baltimore made other additions this winter, including Mark Trumbo and Korean outfielder Hyun-Soo Kim, but Davis is the difference-maker.

The Boston Red Sox are aggressively retooling under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The New York Yankees, a wild-card team last year, have upgraded at second base and added Aroldis Chapman to an already-deadly bullpen.

The Toronto Blue Jays, despite losing David Price to Boston, are the defending AL East champs and still loaded with bats. Assuming they keep their starting rotation intact, the Tampa Bay Rays could be in the picture as well.

Really, this might be baseball’s most balanced division, with no odds-on favorite and no obvious doormat.

That meant the Orioles couldn’t afford to be complacent. They won the division and advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2014 but slid back to a disappointing 81-81 last year. Further regression loomed if they had let Davis slip away and didn’t add any more significant pieces.

OK, now about that risk. First, there’s the obvious issues associated with any long-term deal. Davis turns 30 in March, meaning this contract—which doesn’t feature an opt-out, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal—will carry him through his age-36 season. 

Davis is an excellent athlete who can play the corner outfield spots as well as a capable first base—and even pitched a pair of scoreless innings in 2012. But the list of hitters who avoided decline as their 30s progressed is a short one.

Then there’s the matter of Davis’ troubling 2014 season, wherein he hit a paltry .196 and was slapped with a 25-game amphetamine suspension. His huge 2015 bounce-back erased most of the fears about his production. And Davis had a therapeutic use exemption for the ADHD drug Adderall, which triggered the suspension, per USA Today (via the Associated Press).

Still, those are resume blemishes that can’t be ignored.

Davis also strikes out—a lot. In fact, he led the game in whiffs last year with 208. That’s not considered as big of an issue in today’s game as it used to be, but it’s worth noting.

On balance, though, this was the right move for Baltimore. Add budding superstar Manny Machado and All-Star center fielder Adam Jones, and the Orioles have an enviable, locked-in offensive core.

They’ve also got more work to do, as Rosenthal outlined:

The O’s still need starting pitching, need it badly. Otherwise, Davis will be nothing more than an ornate showpiece, a freak-show, home-run hitting attraction at Camden Yards.

The Orioles’ rotation ERA increased from 3.61 in 2014 to 4.53 last season, and that was with left-hander Wei-Yin Chen as the team’s top starter; he since has signed with the Marlins. 

There are options, including right-hander Yovani Gallardo, whose name has been “floating around” all winter, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.

Whether the Orioles are willing to part with the cash and draft pick it’d cost to land Gallardo remains to be seen. But this is an obvious area of need, and the options are dwindling.

For now, however, Baltimore fans can exhale. Davis comes with baggage. And like any massive contract, this one’s fraught with possible pitfalls. But when you get a chance to retain a guy with relative youth and game-changing pop, you pounce.

The Orioles pounced. Davis got paid. Now, we can all sit back and watch what promises to be a top-to-bottom dogfight in the AL East.

Is it spring yet?

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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Chris Davis steered hard into the regression curve in 2014. His return to slugging prominence wasn’t enough to get the Baltimore Orioles in contention, but the team still decided to keep him in the fold. The slugger agreed on a seven-year, $161 million contract Saturday that will put him among the highest-paid players at his position. 

Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the high-profile re-signing, and Roch Kubatko of MASN confirmed an agreement was in place. Heyman also passed along the contract figures, while Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports said Davis received a partial no-trade clause. Rosenthal also added Davis’ salary would be deferred. Buster Olney of ESPN provided the breakdown:

Rosenthal noted Davis will be 51 when he receives his final payment from the contract.

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out Davis’ $161 million price tag was more than twice the previous highest contract in Orioles history, which went to Miguel Tejada for $72 million back in 2004.

Davis, 29, hit .262/.361/.562 last year with an MLB-high 47 home runs and 117 RBI. It was a huge comeback after a lost 2014 campaign marred by a performance-enhancing drug suspension and injuries. 

“He’s had a great year, and he’s been a great player for us, so obviously, we’d like to have him back,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told the Baltimore Sun in October. “Whether we can do that in the market, that remains to be seen, but we’re going to try.”

Of course, Davis had all the incentive in the world to find the best possible contract. The Orioles had shopped him in back channels as they floated out of contention, and power hitters are as few and far between as at any point in recent MLB history—and Davis is among the biggest bats in the game.

What’s more, we understand better than ever that striking out isn’t necessarily the killer it used to seem. An out is an out in most cases; a strikeout is only slightly worse than your garden-variety flyout. That Davis swings and misses a ton isn’t a good thing, but he’s still a usable player who has gotten better at being patient.

Baltimore has some reason for optimism. Davis’ batting average on balls in play last season was .319, a vast improvement from 2014 and right in line with his career mark. A strong second half helped push Davis’ batting average back toward respectability, and he set a career high for walks with 84.

Davis might never hit .286 again, but he is an asset because of the dearth in power around baseball. It won’t be the safest play in free agency, but the Orioles could do a lot worse, and the signing ensures they won’t have to fill a major power void.

Advanced stats via Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter seems to have had enough of the Chris Davis free-agency drama that is surrounding his team in the offseason.

In a leadership conference Thursday in which he shared the stage with Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Showalter faced questions about the free-agent slugger who is set to make quite a payday whenever he decides to sign with a team, per Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. 

“How much is enough? I asked Chris during the season, ‘Chris, when you walk into a Target store, can you buy anything you want? So, how much is enough?’ I love Chris, but if that [his decision] makes or breaks our team, shame on us,” Showalter said, per Schmuck.

According to Schmuck, the Orioles offered Davis a $150 million deal earlier in the offseason, but he has not made a move yet.

His lack of action is not sitting well with the Orioles, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick:

The team made an offer to free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on Thursday, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. By inquiring about Cespedes’ bat, Baltimore might be trying to send a message to Davis that the team is close to being finished with him.

Replacing Davis’ bat won’t be easy, though. The left-hander led the majors with 47 home runs while driving in 117 runs in 2015.

But as spring training gets closer and his status remains up in the air, the Orioles have to do something to ensure that they don’t get burned if Davis goes elsewhere.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Most of the offseason headlines surrounding the Baltimore Orioles have focused on their high-priced game of chicken with first baseman Chris Davis. The O’s reportedly dangled a $154 million offer in front of the free-agent slugger, a franchise-record total but not enough to get him to bite—yet.

While we’re on the subject of nine-figure offers, Baltimore should toss some cash at another player, a superstar talent who’s already on the roster and won’t become a free agent until 2019.

We’re talking about third baseman Manny Machado, in case you hadn’t guessed. And the time is right for the Orioles to give him the full Mike Trout treatment.

Trout, you’ll recall, signed a six-year, $144.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels in 2014. The deal, inked when the outfielder was 22 years old, bought out his arbitration years and three years of potential free agency. Now, Trout won’t hit the market until after the 2020 season.

Maybe you’re balking at a Trout/Machado comparison. And, yes, there is indeed only one Mike Trout.

But Machado is absolutely in the same stratosphere, in terms of potential if not accomplishment.

First off, Machado is just 23 years old, meaning his prime is laid out in front of him. He’s already padded his resume with two All-Star appearances, two top-10 MVP finishes and a pair of Gold Gloves at third base.

If he hadn’t done so already, Machado truly broke out in 2015, bashing 35 home runs with an .861 OPS, 20 stolen bases and 14 defensive runs saved at the hot corner, per FanGraphs.

In September, he made his MLB debut at shortstop, a position where his power profiles even better.

If you like WAR, Machado’s 6.8 mark was third-best in the Junior Circuit, behind only Trout and AL MVP Josh Donaldson.

The “franchise player” label gets tossed around too liberally at times. Machado, though, is the Platonic ideal of a franchise player: young, steeped in ability and clearly still climbing toward his ceiling.

Yes, this is the part where we mention the knee surgeries Machado underwent in 2013 and 2014. But if there were lingering doubts about his durability, Machado answered them last season by appearing in all 162 games and making an MLB-leading 713 plate appearances. There was something deliberate about that iron-man output; it felt like Machado was sending a message.

Now, the Orioles can send a message to their fans. After winning the American League East in 2014, Baltimore regressed to an 81-81 finish last season, the very definition of mediocrity.

Extending Machado and ensuring he’ll remain an Oriole for the foreseeable future would go a long way toward rebuilding enthusiasm among the Baltimore faithful.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette acknowledged the possibility of a Machado extension in October, but he didn’t make it sound like a top priority.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do, and the fact that Manny’s gonna be here for the next three years under his current arrangement doesn’t mean that’s a back-burner item, but we have a lot more urgent things to look at,” Duquette said, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

More than two months into an offseason that hasn’t featured any blockbusters in Baltimore, it’s time to slide Manny to the front burner.

OK, so let’s talk details. What, exactly, would/should a Machado extension look like?

We’ve already laid out the Trout terms, and that’s a good starting point. When Trout put his name on that contract, he’d put together an AL Rookie of the Year campaign and twice been the AL MVP runner-up. He was also a year younger than Machado is now.

Most essentially, Trout’s contract allows him to test the market in his age-29 season, when he should be able to land at least one more massive payday. Heck, if contracts keep going the way they have been, we could be talking about deals in excess of $500 million.

So while you could argue Trout gave the Halos something of a “discount,” he’s set up to cash in down the road.

The Orioles could offer Machado a similar opportunity with a seven-year deal. That would buy out his arbitration years, plus three years of free agency, and allow Machado to hit the open market at age 30.

As for a dollar figure, something in the $130 million range seems fair and workable for both sides. It’s less than Trout got—especially when you adjust for inflating salaries—but still a sizable investment.

To create flexibility, Baltimore could backload the deal the way the Angels did with Trout, who made about $6 million last season and is due a series of raises that lift the annual value to around $34 million in the contract’s final three years.

No matter what, Machado is about to get considerably more expensive, as Camden Chat’s Mark Brown recently outlined:

The cheap years have run out for the team. The price of Machado will be going up every year for the next several years. Already, he’s estimated by MLBTR to be in line for a $5.9 million salary for next year. If his 2016 is like this, that could double for the year beyond. There’s no doubt he’s earned those raises. Eventually, you’ve got to pay that piper.

The time is now for the Orioles to think big and spend like their deep-pocketed division rivals. No, Baltimore will never be the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees. Machado, however, is worth a splurge that would blow past the six-year, $85.5 extension the club gave outfielder Adam Jones in 2012.

Here’s something else Duquette told the Baltimore Sun‘s Encina: “Manny’s a great player, we’d love to have him long term.”

It’s time for the O’s to put their money where their mouth is.

All statistics and contract information courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a deal with star South Korean left fielder Hyun-soo Kim on Wednesday, pending a physical, according to the Baltimore Sun‘s Dan Connolly.

Per Connolly, Kim’s contract with the Orioles is a two-year deal worth $7 million, and the money is evenly distributed with $3.5 million in salary for each season.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the deal and implied Baltimore got strong value out of it:

Kim is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and a .318 career hitter in the Korea Baseball Organization League as a member of the Doosan Bears. The 27-year-old has been with the club since 2006 but is heading stateside to boost Baltimore’s outfield.   

In addition to his evident defensive prowess in the outfield, the blend of plate discipline and power Kim exuded during his time in the KBO was remarkable.

He batted .326 this past season with career-best totals in home runs (28) and RBI (121) while striking out only 63 times and drawing 101 walks. If Kim merely manages to imitate that sort of production with the Orioles, he’ll be viewed as quite the offseason steal.

Outfielder Gerardo Parra is a free agent, so there ought to be a spot for Kim to fill in and start right away. Kim’s bat will be especially useful if Baltimore can’t persuade slugger first baseman Chris Davis to stick around.

After failing to meet expectations this past season and missing the playoffs, pressure is on for the Orioles to perform well in 2016.

There will be plenty of hype following Kim around, but he appears equipped to handle it. Based on his steady production, the strong season he’s coming off of and a solid all-around game, all indications are Kim has the goods to make an instant MLB impact.

Note: Stats and background information on Kim courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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The Baltimore Orioles announced they have acquired first baseman Mark Trumbo and LHP C.J. Riefenhauser from the Mariners for catcher Steve Clevenger.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports initially reported the news Tuesday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed the deal. 

Rumblings about the Mariners dealing Trumbo picked up steam around Thanksgiving, with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reporting “several” rival executives were expecting the 29-year-old to be traded. 

Trumbo’s trade status was unusual before Tuesday’s deal, as Dutton noted, because the Orioles were “concerned” they could be trading a player under contract for someone the Mariners “could choose not to offer a contract to” before Wednesday’s deadline. 

David Schoenfield of ESPN.com broke down why Trumbo put himself in a position where being tendered a contract was not a given:

…in the past two seasons, he’s averaged 18 home runs and 64 RBIs, posted a .303 OBP and averaged 0.2 WAR per season. He was a little better in 2015 after an injury-plagued 2014, but he hit just .263/.316/.419 with the Mariners — poor numbers for a first baseman or DH. That player is a borderline tender candidate at $9 million.

With Trumbo now in the fold for Baltimore, he is assured of having a home next year. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors estimated that Trumbo will make $9.1 million through salary arbitration in 2016. 

The Orioles don’t have the luxury of spending big money on the open market, so they have to supplement their roster in different ways. For all his flaws, Trumbo does bring 20-plus homer power to hitter-friendly Camden Yards. 

Even though Trumbo isn’t the dynamic bat Baltimore fans may be seeking, he does fill a need as a potential replacement for free agent Chris Davis at first base or in left field, where Orioles players combined for a .640 OPS in 2015. 

As long as the Trumbo trade isn’t the only move Baltimore makes this offseason, his addition is welcome for a franchise in need of adding multiple bats to avoid falling behind the pack in the American League East. 

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