Report: Orioles interested in Span as right fielder

The Baltimore Orioles failed to find a competent replacement for right fielder Nick Markakis after he signed with Atlanta last offseason, but the club has now identified one free agent - albeit an unexpected one - who could fill that void.

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles have "some level" of interest in Denard Span, who, despite spending the majority of his career in center field, has generated interest among certain Orioles officials as a potential option in right.

Though Span hasn't played right field since 2009, the Orioles' contingent of right fielders produced minus-1.4 WAR this past season, and the team's tentative 2016 starter, L.J. Hoes, owns a .617 OPS in his 112 career MLB games. Span also won't force the Orioles to forfeit a draft pick, should they sign him, as he wasn't tendered a $15.8-million qualifying offer by the Washington Nationals.

Span, however, missed the majority of the 2015 campaign with a litany of injury problems, missing time at the beginning of the season with back issues before getting shut down in August with a torn labrum. Span, who underwent surgery in September to correct his hip problem, appeared in a career-low 61 games, albeit while hitting .301/.365/.431 (120 wRC+) with five homers and 11 stolen bases.

Span's recent injury woes notwithstanding, the 31-year-old ranks 22nd among outfielders with 12.2 WAR over the last four seasons, while his .358 on-base percentage since the beginning of 2014 is 15th-highest in the National League (min. 800 plate appearances).