By Jordan Long
The Baltimore Orioles have added depth to their rotation. Prized free agent Alex Cobb agreed to a 4-year, $57 million contract. This is the largest agreement to a pitcher in Baltimore’s history.
Cobb fills the void of another starting pitcher for the Orioles. He has been one of the best arms for the Tampa Bay Rays, spending the last 6 years there. During that time Cobb was one of their top pitchers going 48-35 with a 3.50 ERA. What made him so hard to face was his ability to strike batters out with 570. Cobb hit his spots and made it difficult for batters to hit off of him. He rarely gave up a home run with only 65.
His problem has been walking batters. Cobb has given up 204 free bases, not a great number. Those walks can equal more traffic and runs scored.
The Orioles were lucky he was still on the market. Plenty of teams wanted him because of what he brings to the table. Cobb should be able to win 10 to 15 games, which will help the rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner, and Chris Tillman.
On paper this is a decent move. The only problem is the regular season starts in a week. He has not had spring baseball and who knows if Cobb is ready to go.
With this move the Orioles are a deeper threat to win the American East title. It will be up to Cobb to be a 4th or 5th pitcher in the rotation. He has the skills to help this team win. If he is hurt or doesn’t win many games it is a wasted deal. Hopefully Cobb can be part of a winning baseball team.
What do you think of the Baltimore Orioles agreeing to contract with Alex Cobb?
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