Baltimore Orioles: Do They Need Two Santanas?
By Nate Wardle
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Talk, as we often know, is cheap. So when Ervin Santana reportedly was setting a 5 p.m. deadline to choose a team, fans of the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays should have been skeptical.
But they weren’t… Fans threw barbs back and forth on twitter, trying to get Santana to sign with their team. There is a rumored NL team involved as well, but the Orioles and Jays are clearly at the front of the pack.
Well, Santana hasn’t chosen a team yet. But, the more I think about, the more I wonder exactly what the need is for the Orioles.
Their starting pitching, outside of Wei-Yin Chen, has been quite good this spring. As has their relief pitching by players expected to battle for a major league spot.
As of right now, the rotation is expected to be Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, and Bud Norris. Many feel Norris would be squeezed out by the signing of Ervin Santana, not to be confused with the already-signed Johan Santana.
But should he be? Leaving up home runs is always an issue for Ervin, and he has had problems keeping the ball in the park in Baltimore as well. How much of an upgrade would he be for 14 million dollars?
But, if the O’s have that money to spend, and contract talks with the likes of J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters, and Chris Davis have stalled, might as well give him the money.
At the very least, it will make the Orioles flush with starting pitching by mid-season, when Kevin Gausman has done all he can in AAA. Let’s not forget that Zach Britton looks good after just a few weeks of working with Dave Wallace.
Too much pitching is never a problem, but the Orioles will have to figure out what to do with all the options, whether they sign Santana or not.