MLB: Baltimore Orioles Interested in San Diego Padres' Andrew Cashner?
The Baltimore Orioles have been spenders this offseason as they re-signed catcher Matt Wieters to a qualifying offer as well as first baseman Chris Davis and reliever Darren O'Day to multimillion deals. However, the Orioles are still in need of an additional starter to replace Wei-Yin Chen, who left via free agency and signed an $80 million contract with the Miami Marlins, per ESPN.
The report noted that the Orioles have shown interest in free agent starter Yovani Gallardo this offseason. Although the Orioles appear to have money to spend, Executive Vice President Dan Duquette is unwilling to give up the team's 14th overall draft pick in this year's draft as compensation for signing Gallardo.
According to MASN Sports, Baltimore's main priority is to get a starter this offseason but have not signed any with Spring Training just a couple of weeks away. The Orioles have claimed Vance Worley off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and may be used as a spot starter or long reliever.
MASN Sports suggested that the Orioles should look into acquiring Andrew Cashner from the San Diego Padres. Cashner is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but has experienced a down year in 2015 as with a 6-16 record and 4.34 ERA, per Baseball Reference.
The 29-year-old is just a year removed from the best two seasons of his career in 2013 and 2014. In those two years, Cashner has a combined record of 15-16 with a 2.82 ERA. The Orioles are reportedly willing to acquire a starter via trade with Kevin Gausman as the only untouchable young player.
In a report by the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles could also try and trade for Jeremy Guthrie of the Kansas City Royals. Guthrie is a 36-year-old, right-handed veteran who previously played for the Orioles from 2007 to 2011.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe mentioned in his report that Mat Latos is a bounce back candidate for the Orioles to sign. However, he noted that Latos scares away teams because of his attitude with one NL official saying that only a "strong manager" can keep him settled. The Orioles fit that bill with their manager Buck Showalter, who is known for his toughness and ability to handle players like Latos.
The Baltimore Sun also suggested Tim Lincecum as another bounce back candidate who will have a showcase for interested MLB teams before Spring Training. If the Orioles can't sign a fifth starter, they have other starter options like Worley, Brian Matusz, Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright.
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