The free agent outfield market shrinks by one, plus other notes

He didn't get $100 million. He didn't get an opt-out clause. He did get a contract that includes some deferred money. But outfielder Alex Gordon is no longer on the board. He signed a four-year deal worth $72 million to stay with the Kansas City Royals.

His combination of a career .348 OBP (it was .377 last year) and his defensive excellence would have looked real good in the Orioles outfield. But despite a recent report that Kansas City had "no chance" to re-sign Gordon, he no doubt had a strong pull to return to the Royals. Everything continues to come up royal blue these days in K.C.

While Jason Heyward got an eight-year deal worth $184 million with the Chicago Cubs, Gordon signed for $112 million less. While it is the right of any player to extract every last dollar via free agency, it is also their right to sign anywhere at any price and not only take the best offer. Perhaps Gordon just did exactly that.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that the Orioles "have also been in talks with reps for Yoenis Cespedes, who is looking for a landing spot, as well as (Justin) Upton. Have money to spend."

Will the Orioles still land one of the big four outfielders, now with Heyward and Gordon off the board?

The Orioles would have to give up the 14th pick in the draft to sign Upton, but not Cespedes. A right-handed batter, Cespedes is coming off a strong 2015 season, one where he hit .291/.328/.542 with 42 doubles, six triples, 35 homers and 105 RBIs. He has a big arm in left field. He was third in the majors in extra-base hits (83) and finished 13th in the National League Most Valuable Player vote.

Upton, also a right-handed hitter, will be just 28 on opening day. Last year for San Diego, he hit .251/.336/.454 with 26 doubles, three triples, 26 homers and 81 RBIs. He has a career slash line of .271/.352/.473 with an OPS of .825.

He was the first overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 draft. Upton is from Chesapeake, Va., and some feel geography is another plus for the Orioles in his pursuit.

Will the Orioles start to turn their attention away from Chris Davis and to Cespedes or Upton? Have they done that already?

More Hall of Fame notes: It is quite remarkable that Ken Griffey Jr. last night became the first player ever selected No. 1 overall in the baseball draft to make the Hall of Fame. The first year of the draft was 1965. Here is the list of players taken No. 1 overall.

At the same time, what a unique note that Mike Piazza is the lowest drafted player to ever make the Hall. Piazza was the 1,390th player taken in Round 62 in 1988. The draft is now just 40 rounds, by the way.

During an interview last night on MLB Network, Griffey revealed that he has been to Cooperstown, but has never been inside the Hall of Fame.

"In case you don't know, I am really superstitious," Griffey said. "I have played in the Hall of Fame Game three times and I've never set foot in the building. I've never even seen the front of it. I've gone directly from the field to the hotel. I never looked at the front of it because the one time that I wanted to go in there, I wanted to be a member of it."

Mussina's gain: Former Orioles right-hander Mike Mussina made the biggest gain of anyone not elected last night. He went from getting 20.3 percent of the votes his first year eligible in 2014 to 24.6 percent last year to 43.0 last night.

The gain of 18.4 percentage points was the most by any player, topping the gains of Edgar Martinez (16.4), Jeff Bagwell (15.9), Alan Trammell (15.8) and Tim Raines (14.8).