The Orioles got their man after all - again. After a couple of days worth of kerfuffle over the results of the physical exam of Yovani Gallardo, the O's and Gallardo have reached a new deal. MASN's Roch Kubatko reported on Wednesday night that the deal is done for two years, with a third year team option. Other reporters characterize it as "working on finalizing" a contract, so perhaps it'll be off to the races one more time, but at least we know the physical part is over.
That's a step down from the original deal for Gallardo, as it was originally three years with a fourth year team option. The O's reportedly had concerns over something they saw on Gallardo's shoulder when they did an MRI, and ordered additional tests to get a better idea of what they were seeing.
It seems as a result of those tests they decided to go ahead with signing Gallardo - to one less year than was originally offered. For all the ballyhooing from some quarters about the O's process, it also seems the re-working of the deal must have been agreeable enough to Gallardo, or he wouldn't have agreed to the terms. Or else he was desperate to get signed. I don't know. Maybe now he'll have something to prove.
The initial contract was for $35 million guaranteed, with $20 million set to be paid out over the first two years of the deal. Whether that's going to be the same structure for the new contract is not yet known, but if they keep the same salary numbers as before, it'd be for two years with $22 million guaranteed, with the potential of reaching three years and $33 million.
With this settled, the O's will be locked in to giving up their top two picks in this year's draft. For that price - and some money, of course - they will be getting what they hope is a reliable veteran starter who does have a track record of solid performance. And with only two years guaranteed, they aren't exposed to a ton of risk if Gallardo's decreasing velocity and strikeout rate eventually erode his results-oriented statistics like ERA.
Will it work out that way? That's the real question, and we'll have to wait until the season starts to find out. Bring on the baseball.