More thoughts on free agency and the Hall of Fame (Quinn hiring official)

With Alex Gordon off the board, it's fair to wonder whether he truly was on the Orioles' radar.

They want another left-handed bat. They'd gladly take a four-time Gold Glove outfielder. They'd build a shrine to a hitter with a career .348 on-base percentage over nine seasons.

Gordon made sense on many levels, but he came with health concerns that tempered the Orioles' enthusiasm.

Where have we heard this before?

Gordon missed two months with a groin injury, limiting him to only 104 games. He turns 32 in February. Passing the Orioles' physical wasn't a slam dunk. And I'm pretty sure dunking is part of the physical.

A four-year deal seemed out of the question. Factor in Gordon's desire to remain in Kansas City, and it's apparent that the Orioles weren't really in the running for his services.

Meanwhile, not much has changed regarding the Orioles, Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes. The club already has been in contact with the representatives for both free agents. They're still envisioning ways to fit one of the outfielders on their roster and payroll if Chris Davis continues to reject their $150 million offer.

If Upton is willing to take a one-year deal and re-enter the market next winter - I like to call it "pulling a Nelson Cruz" - the chances that he is introduced at Camden Yards on opening day most certainly improve. The Orioles love when a player falls into their laps. They keep a pillow strapped to their waists for just such an occasion.

Upton would cost a first-round pick, but the Orioles are willing to part with it for the right player.

Would anyone really have an issue with the Orioles plugging Upton into right field and the middle of the order, especially at a price that allows them to also add a left-handed bat or starter?

I'm still convinced that they can re-sign Davis. And yes, also adding Upton on a one-year deal would blow the minds of fans everywhere. Kick around that idea for a while. Just don't get your hopes up while doing it.

The Orioles remain interested in Pedro Alvarez as a left-handed designated hitter, but agent Scott Boras isn't in a rush to put him in Baltimore while trying to talk managing partner Peter Angelos into increasing his offer for Davis. That's what I mean by complications. The Orioles aren't necessarily handcuffed with Davis still on the market, but they sure are inconvenienced.

I can't stress enough that the Orioles still haven't addressed their rotation concerns, and they'd really like to add one starter in Wei-Yin Chen's spot and another to provide organizational depth.

Is Chen still out of play? He is if Boras continues to seek a five-year, $100 million deal, but Chen trumps other starters on the market if his price comes down. I've heard fans and media types suggest that the Orioles should just bring him back, but would everyone here be OK with the same rotation that regressed in 2015? The only change would be Kevin Gausman over Bud Norris as the Orioles break camp.

As long as I'm being repetitive - and non-update updates are all the rage, in case you haven't noticed - the returning starters need bounce-back seasons or nothing else matters.

Here's a list of things I don't understand:

The German language
Women
The appeal of cilantro
IKEA instructions
Any instructions
Hall of Fame voters including Barry Bonds on their ballots and excluding Roger Clemens

What's the separator here?

As for Pete Rose, I'll state again that he clearly broke a rule that's posted in every clubhouse and dug himself a much deeper hole with his lying and buffoonery. However, he didn't amass 4,256 hits with a .375 on-base percentage over 24 seasons and make 17 All-Star teams at five different positions because he had a bookie.

Vladimir Guerrero is on the ballot next year. He goes into the Hall of Fame as an Oriole, right?

But seriously, I'd take the three members of the BBWAA who excluded Ken Griffey Jr. and force them to attend Peter Pan's high school reunion every year for the rest of their lives. Or transcribe a Bud Norris interview every day for the rest of their lives.

Shameless plug alert: I'm joining MASN's Jim Hunter at Dempsey's Brew Pub & Restaurant for the "Hot Stove Show" that airs from 6-7 p.m. on 105.7 The Fan.

Pitcher Miguel Gonzalez and catcher Caleb Joseph will call into the show.

Note: The Orioles announced Mark Quinn's hiring as assistant hitting coach.