To that end, Buster Olney hears that there is now an expectation that Fowler will sign with the Orioles, and the range he’ll receive in a contract is something between “great deal” and “bargain”:
Sources: The expectation of O's is that they will finish deals with both Gallardo and Fowler; Fowler expected to be BAL's right fielder.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 18, 2016
Sources: The talks between the Orioles and Dexter Fowler are about a deal in the range of $12m-$13 million annually, for 2 or 3 years.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 18, 2016
Rumors had it that Fowler’s price tag was going to have to sink into the two-year, $20 million range that Howie Kendrick had to settle for, so this would be a little bit better. Indeed, if he gets three years and $39 million (the high end of what Olney cites there), it’s still a good deal for the Orioles, in my opinion, but it’s a decent deal for Fowler, too.
Hopefully this all gets squared away soon, Fowler gets paid, and the Cubs recoup their draft pick.
*(Which, as we’ve said before, is a side reason why it’s nice that the Cubs signed two qualified free agents this offseason in Jason Heyward and John Lackey. Had they signed each player in a separate offseason, for example, each would have cost a top pick. As it stands, each cost the Cubs something slightly less than a top pick, since the two signings are spread over a top pick and a second, lower pick. In this system, stacking qualified free agent signings – if you want the players anyway – is a good strategy.)
