Dexter Fowler Re-Signs With Chicago Cubs

Dexter Fowler has turned down the Baltimore Orioles offer and has re-signed with the Chicago Cubs.

In an absolutely stunning move, Dexter Fowler has re-signed with the Chicago Cubs in a one-year, $8M deal with a $9M mutual option and $5M buyout.

Earlier, Fowler had reportedly signed a three-year, $33M deal with the Orioles, but pulled out after the Orioles would not give him an early opt-out after one season. The Orioles did not want to lose a first-round draft pick to sign a player for only one season.

I wrote in an earlier article about why Dexter Fowler made a lot of sense for the Orioles to sign, and losing him is incredibly unfortunate. I thought that Fowler would fit into the Orioles lineup perfectly, giving them more power and speed, the latter of which being something the team desperately needs.

Now with Fowler going back to the Cubs, the Orioles are going to have to figure out what they’re going to do in right field. As it stands, Mark Trumbo would be the right fielder (and he’s not good in the field) rather than his better-suited DH role, which would now probably be Jimmy Paredes.

Pedro Alvarez is still out there, and he might be a player the Orioles look too, but he’s not exactly Fowler’s caliber. Alvazrez is a low-average, high-strikeout, big home run hitter, something the Orioles already have in Davis and Trumbo.

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We’ll see what the Orioles ultimately decide to do, but this is certainly a shocking development in what initially appeared to be a pretty straightforward deal.