A former Oriole may be about to cash in on a contract

In June 2012, the Orioles selected him fourth overall in the First-Year Player Draft. The expectations were high and they included hopes he would pitch at or near the top of their rotation for years. And for years, right-hander Kevin Gausman pitched for the Orioles. He sometimes showed flashes of brilliance, but never lived up to the first-round hype.

Now, just over two years after the O's traded Gausman, he is about to come into some money. The San Francisco Giants recently made him the qualifying offer and they also have interest in signing him to a long-term contract. Gausman, inconsistent as an Oriole, had a big year for the Giants in the shortened season and he's about to cash in on that.

In 12 games and 10 starts, he went 3-3 with an ERA of 3.62. In 59 2/3 innings, he allowed 50 hits, including eight home runs. Gausman recorded a WHIP of 1.106 and allowed 7.5 hits and 1.2 homers per nine innings, with 2.4 walks and 11.9 strikeouts. His ERA was his best since he went 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA for the 2016 Orioles.

He did all this after being designated for assignment by Atlanta in August 2019. He pitched to an ERA of 4.77 in 26 starts over parts of two seasons for Atlanta. The Braves added him in a trade on July 31, 2018 from the Orioles. With Baltimore, Gausman went 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA in six seasons. That ERA was exactly league average over his time as an Oriole.

Gausman set career bests in 2020 in strikeouts/nine innings, strikeout-walk ratio (4.94), WHIP, strikeout percentage (32.2) and batting average against. The .221 mark he allowed was much better than his previous best of .251 in 2015. He finished strong, with a 2-1 mark and 2.35 ERA over his past four starts. He allowed an average of just .157 over his last six games.

Gausman's swing-and-miss rate of 33.1 percent ranked seventh in the majors and third in the National League among pitchers throwing 55 or more innings. He ranked seventh in the NL in K/9 and strikeout/walk ratio. This was a strong year for Gausman, who turns 30 on Jan. 6.

But even with those solid numbers, it was a surprise to see the Giants make him the qualifying offer of $18.9 million. He can sign that and play for that number in 2021 or decline it and test free agency, with the Giants getting a draft pick if he leaves. Gausman was one of just six players and three pitchers (with the Reds' Trevor Bauer and Mets' Marcus Stroman) to get a qualifying offer.

Gausman told reporters late in the year that he would like to return to the Giants.

"I would love to come back," he said in late September. "I think I've made it pretty open that I feel good here. I really like this club. I really like the team, and more than anything, I really like the guys. I think the staples that we have in our lineup, the experience that they bring every day - a big part of that, a guy that's not here, is Buster (Posey). Hopefully he's going to be back here next year (after opting out in 2020). He was a big reason why I decided to sign here. Coming back and knowing that he's going to be here next year definitely adds another element to it. We'll see what happens."

So why did Gausman pitch so well this past year? One reason is improvement of his secondary pitches. While his pitch mix was similar to previous years, the whiff rate on swings against his changeup was 31.1 percent, up from 16.7 percent in 2019. And batters hit just .167 off the pitch. The whiff rate was 49.7 percent off his split-finger pitch, up from 41.4 percent. It's always been a solid putaway pitch for him and was that and then some in 2020, when batters hit just .092 against it.

The Giants want Gausman back and even if he turns down the qualifying offer, he could sign a long-term deal with the club. The Giants rotation pitched to an ERA of 4.99 this year with just 11 quality starts and Gausman had four of those. Now they want him back. He sure did himself a lot good in those 10 starts.

A few other notes: Bauer, to no one's surprise, turned down the qualifying offer. MLBTradeRumors.com projects he will be the most sought-after free agent this winter. They have him signing with the Dodgers for four years and $128 million. Bauer led the NL in ERA (1.73) and WHIP (0.79) and also threw two shutouts.

The O's Anthony Santander did not win the Gold Glove in right field in the American League. That went to Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers. Of the seven AL right fielders that played 300 innings or more in 2020, Santander ranked second in Defensive Runs Saved with eight. He was fourth in overall defense rating (minus-0.5) and fourth in Ultimate Zone Rating (1.1). In Statcast stats, Santander rated above-average in Outs Above Average in the 69th percentile in Outfielder Jump in the 67th percentile. He led the O's with four outfield assists which was tied for fourth among all major league right fielders. Even though an injury limited him to 37 games, Santander was voted Most Valuable Oriole by the media.

Click here for MLBTradeRumors.com's ranking of the top 50 free agents and predictions of where they may sign. The Orioles don't have any of their players ranked in the top 50 and they are not projected to sign any of that list. This is no real shocker, although as the winter goes on, they'll no doubt be monitoring the signings to see if there is a fit for them. It will be an interesting winter to track signings. Some believe the top players will still get their money, but after a season where much revenue was lost, that the so-called middle class of free agents will have a rough winter trying to get deals.