The Baltimore Orioles are "making progress" in talks with right-handed pitcher Yovani Gallardo, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The two parties are talking about a three-year deal, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
To get the right-handed pitcher, Baltimore would need to give up the 14th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft because Gallardo turned down a qualifying offer to become a free agent. The Orioles were not ready to give up a draft pick for Gallardo earlier in the winter, but the price for the 29-year-old has dropped enough and the team is willing to get the deal done. The draft pick would go to the Texas Rangers.
Baltimore could use another arm in their rotation, which includes Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Kevin Gausman and Mike Wright. The team lost left-handed starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen to free agency this offseason. The second round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2004 MLB Draft would most definetly help the starting pitching in Baltimore.
Gallardo, 29, pitched a career-best 3.42 ERA with a 13-11 record across 184.1 innings pitched in 2015 with the Rangers. The righty dropped his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 1.78, but he logged a 1.416 WHIP, which is the worst of his big league career.
The best season for Gallardo was in 2010, which he went 14-7 with a 3.84 ERA during 31 games and 185.0 innings pitched. He earned All-Star Game honors and added a National League Silver Slugger award. The next year, 2011, Gallardo finished seventh in National League Cy Young voting due to a 17-10 record across a career-high 207.1 innings pitched.
Five starts and six appearances have been made in the postseason by Gallardo, four starts with the Brewers and one start with the Rangers. Across 31.0 innings, Gallardo has gone 2-2 with a 2.32 ERA, 1.290 WHIP and a 1.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Baltimore would love his veteran ability and experience in the postseason.