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Report: Orioles interested in Gallardo

Peter Llewellyn / USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this month, Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette expressed his desire to add a top of the rotation starter this offseason. The veteran executive now appears to have someone specific in mind.

The Orioles are reportedly interested in veteran right-hander Yovani Gallardo, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, who notes that the club reached out to the 29-year-old free agent. Gallardo, an All-Star back in 2010, has also drawn interest from the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks, per reports.

Acquired by the Rangers last winter after spending the previous eight seasons in Milwaukee, Gallardo thrived in his lone season in Texas, authoring a 3.42 ERA (124 ERA+) with a 1.42 WHIP over 33 starts. Gallardo also crafted the ninth-highest ground-ball rate among American League starters (49.3 percent), while allowing just 0.73 home runs per nine innings.

Season ERA WHIP K/BB HR/9 GB%
2013 4.18 1.36 2.18 0.90 49.2%
2014 3.51 1.29 2.7 0.98 50.8%
2015 3.42 1.42 1.78 0.73 49.3%

Amid considerable regression from Chris Tillman and Bud Norris, meanwhile, the Orioles fielded one of the league's weaker rotations in 2015, finishing among the bottom-four in ERA (4.53), fielding independent pitching (4.47), walk rate (7.4 percent), and homers per nine innings (1.26).

Though signing Gallardo, who rejected the Rangers' qualifying offer, would force the Orioles to forfeit their top unprotected pick in the 2016 draft, the expected departures of free agents Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen will afford Baltimore two additional compensation picks.

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