Turns out Dexter Fowler won't miss much of spring training after all. The Baltimore Orioles, on the day their position players reported to camp, have reportedly signed Fowler for three years and $35 million.
Fowler and the O's seemed to line up as a match, and rumors had placed them together for the past week. but a source told MASN's Roch Kubatko that the deal was done. ESPN's Buster Olney was first to report the $35 million price tag.
It's been a funky couple of days for the Orioles, as their other late spring signing, pitcher Yovani Gallardo, ran into problems with his physical. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that the O's deal with Gallardo was "on hold" until the health matters were sorted out. The Orioles are notorious for being finicky with physicals, so it'll be interesting to see how things play out with both Gallado and Fowler.
Fowler, 29, is coming off a season in which he played 156 games for the Chicago Cubs, which wouldn't seem to indicate any injury issues. Then again, Gallardo made 33 starts for the Texas Rangers in 2015.
Last season with the Cubs, Fowler hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs. He'll complement Adam Jones in the Baltimore outfield and should hit leadoff in a lineup that features Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and recent addition Mark Trumbo.
Fowler was one of many players who saw their free agency met with lukewarm reaction because of a qualifying offer. The Cubs tagged Fowler with the offer, which would have paid him $15.8 million for one more season. Since Fowler declined, the Orioles now have to give the Cubs a draft pick. The O's would also give the Rangers a draft pick if the Gallardo deal is finalized, since he too, was given a qualifying offer.
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