Better Late Than Never: Orioles Try to Try

I’ve said it consistently all offseason: I know the Orioles are not going to get a top-tier pitcher, so if they make a run at Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn, we won’t be able to say they’re not trying.

Then they signed Andrew Cashner, and the refrain became: Look, this move is fine on its own, but it becomes a terrible move if they don’t do something else.

Well, the Orioles have done something else, and we can’t levy the accusation that they’re not trying. Of course I’m talking about the rumors gathering steam that Alex Cobb has agreed to terms with the Orioles.

Sources: #Orioles close to agreement with free-agent RHP Alex Cobb. Expected to be at least three years. Sides had been talking about deal in range of three years, $50M. Possibility of deal first mentioned by @JeffPassan.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 20, 2018

Per industry source, #orioles deal with Alex Cobb would be for 4 years. Quite a surprise given their stance at winter meetings.

— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 20, 2018

BREAKING – #Orioles are signing starter Alex Cobb to a four-year deal.

Read details: https://t.co/wWBxXBgtPU pic.twitter.com/bJaTGuFW8g

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) March 20, 2018

That’s right, this isn’t simply wishful thinking. That’s Blue Check Ken Rosenthal, not the other one.

Maybe it’s just the Orioles fan in me, but I feel like I should point out that there is still plenty that can go wrong. The deal is pending a physical. Also, there’s the little matter of this:

Also, let's not consider a Exter-day Owler-fay situation.

— Bird's Eye View – 🎙⚾ O's Pod (@BirdsEyeViewBal) March 20, 2018

But I’ve spent plenty of time this offseason being (understandably) negative. So let’s take stock of where this signing might lead. The rotation shapes up like this:

Kevin Gausman

Dylan Bundy

Alex Cobb

Andrew Cashner

Chris Tillman

Don’t look now, but that is a legit major league rotation. Let’s not get crazy and say it’s a dominant rotation, but it consists of at least four pitchers who would be a welcome addition on 29 other teams. That is saying something for the Orioles. I even have to admit that hoping for a bounce-back season from Chris Tillman in the #5 slot is not a terrible prospect. If he falters the stakes are low. And the #5 spot of a rotation filled with four actual pitchers is where you can afford to try out Rule 5 guys and internal candidates.

So here we have it: the Orioles have a passable major league rotation and a major league lineup. Sure, we would like to see better from the likes of Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo. Of course, we’re not sure whether Trey Mancini and Jonathan Schoop will follow up on their impressive 2017 campaigns. We’re not even sure that we’re going to get a full season from Manny Machado, or that Tim Beckham will hold onto the lightning he caught in a bottle during his time with the Orioles last season. We don’t know that father time won’t come for Adam Jones or that Colby Rasmus won’t get bored with baseball again.

But.

That lineup can be good. And when it is good, it will be covering for a starting rotation that now presents much more of a margin for error. This team could be decent. They might even stretch that to being pretty good. Adding Alex Cobb doesn’t make them a fringe Wild Card contender overnight.

According to Twitter the Os just went from miserable laughingstock of baseball to world series contender instantly by adding Alex Cobb. Let's meet somewhere in the middle guys

— Rob Sykes (@ROBinBirdland) March 20, 2018

But it certainly doesn’t hurt. It turns the Orioles into a team that, if things go right, and people play to their potential, might find themselves in the mix. And really, that makes this team better than they were yesterday. During Episode 229, I predicted a rather depressing win loss record for the O’s. Sure, Alex Cobb doesn’t add… 25 wins. But what he does is he gets the team closer to allowing luck to push them into contention. And… that’s better than no hope.

Me before the Orioles signed Cobb: This team is a fucking trainwreck and we should burn camden yards to the ground
Me today: pic.twitter.com/doiLaiSy0u

— Skipjack (@Skipjack0079) March 20, 2018

Fine, I’ll say it: maybe Dan Duquette isn’t so terrible at this whole “finding good deals late in Spring Training” thing. I’m not saying I like it, but it has worked in the past. For all his faults, maybe this is one of the things we’ll miss when he’s gone.

One last thing:

Get your pun on, Birdland.

The Orioles are really Cobbling together a decent starting rotation

— Ryan Wormeli (@RyanWarmly) March 20, 2018