Baltimore Orioles Talking Contract Extension with Chris Tillman
Even though the Baltimore Orioles have holes to fill this offseason, the team is reportedly starting extension talks with their ace, Chris Tillman.
The Baltimore Orioles have clear holes in right field, catcher, designated hitter and may be on the lookout for potential right handed outfielder to platoon with Hyun too Kim in left field. Still, this apparently hasn’t stopped the Orioles’ front office to begin discussions with an important 2017-18 free agent.
According to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun, the club has opened up talks on a potential extension for their opening day starting pitcher, Chris Tillman. Encina does qualify the situation, saying that the talks are “preliminary”. Perhaps Duquette is just doing his due diligence as he is looks forward to a couple of critical offseasons to come.
Tillman has been by far the most consistent starting pitcher that the Orioles have had since their surprising 2012 playoff run. The 28 year-old (29 in April) has pitched to an ERA under 3.80 in three our of the past four seasons. He bounced back from a down 2015 by finishing up with solid 3.77 ERA last season, that saw him put up his highest strikeout rate (7.3/9 IP) since 2013.
Tillman had outings where he looked like a top of the rotation starter during the middle of the year, but somewhat fell of in the final stages of the regular season. This has been the problem with the Orioles de facto ace, as he has never really been able to sustain a high level of production. His stuff doesn’t blow you out of the water, but when is location is good, he can be a very solid starting pitcher.
Even though the former 2006 second round pick has not been the type of pitcher some expected when he was traded to the O’s from the Mariners in the infamous Erik Bedard deal, Tillman has provided leadership and stability to a rotation that leaves a lot to be desired. Promising young hurlers Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy look to slot behind Tillman in the Orioles starting staff next season. These two pitchers have the stuff to be all-stars one day, but they are far from a certainty based on where they are at in their development right now. The club will also have three subpar veteran starters in Wade Miley, Yovani Gallardo and Ubaldo Jimenez, who will all be free agents after 2017.
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With four starting pitchers becoming free agents after this coming season, we’ll see how much the Orioles will be willing to pay a pitcher who’s probably more of a 3-4 in a good rotation than a 1-2. The club let starter Wei-Yin Chen walk last winter and the O’s front office rarely gives big money to veteran pitchers. Jimenez’s four year, $50 million deal was the most expensive pitching contract in franchise history. I personally wouldn’t give up top dollar for Tillman, but I have a feeling that he may get it because of the value of pitching contracts nowadays. This also obviously demands on how he performs during the final year before he can test the open market for the first time.
It’s also important to note that two of the Orioles best bats in Manny Machado and Adam Jones will have their contracts expiring after the 2018 season. The Orioles don’t operate like a large market ballclub, so Duquette will certainly not be able to sign all of his impending free agents over the next few years. However, it seems like he is just exploring what a Tillman extension may look like at this moment and is probably more focused on filling the club’s holes for the upcoming season. The moves he makes this winter may signal how the team will approach future free agents such as Chris Tillman.
What do you think about the Baltimore Orioles extension talks with Chris Tillman? Let us know in the comments below.
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