Gallardo is the pitcher the O’s need

By: Corey Johns

Free agent pitcher Yovani Gallardo is expected to pick where he is playing in 2016 very soon and the Orioles are one of the three teams he remains interested in, along with the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies.

Gallardo is far from Cy Young material and he’s only ever been selected to one All-Star game and that was back in 2010. But the 29-year-old right-handed pitcher who will be 30 by the start of the season is exactly what the Orioles need to help bolster their starting rotation that lost Wei-Yin Chen to the Miami Marlins.

Chen was a steady, consistent, reliable pitcher. That is what Gallardo is. He won’t be an ace for the team but he will go out every night and you won’t have to worry whether he’s on or off. What you see if what you get with Gallardo and he’s proven throughout his career that he is a reliable innings eater who simply gets the job done in a very effective manner.

Last year the Texas Rangers acquired Gallardo through a trade and he was key in helping them get to the playoffs. He was not their top pitcher but threw 184.1 innings with a 3.42 ERA and 11 strikeouts.

Gallardo has pitched at least 180 innings each of the past seven seasons. Prior to last season he had a very good strikeout rate.

In order to sign Gallardo the Orioles would have to give up a first round draft pick, which Duquette has said he prefers not to do, but if the Orioles are willing to give it up they could bank on Gallardo to be the solid, reliable innings eater every team needs.

Chen led the Orioles with 191.1 innings pitched last season. Only Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman thew for more than 170 innings out of the other pitchers on the team.

Free agency does not need to be about landing top of the line stars. Simply getting a guy who can be reliable and helpful to a team’s success can often times be a better signing since it won’t cost as much money and they build up the quality surround the stars the team has so they aren’t top heavy in talent.

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