A look at more free agent starting pitchers

While we wait for free agency to start, we take another look at three free agent starting pitchers. You may have heard the Orioles could use some help in that regard.

This past season, Orioles starters ranked last in the American League with an ERA of 5.70, which is the worst mark in team history. It was the highest rotation ERA in the majors since Colorado's 5.81 mark in 2012.

O's starting pitchers also ranked last in the AL in innings (846), WHIP (1.52), opponent OPS (.837) and allowed 159 home runs, second most by any AL rotation.

So, with that in mind, would any of this trio of free agent pitchers help the 2018 Orioles?

Andrew Cashner: He signed a one-year $10 million deal for Texas last winter and it paid off for the Rangers. After pitching to ERAs of 4.34 in 2015 and 5.25 in 2016, he went 11-11 with an ERA of 3.40 over 166 2/3 innings for Texas. That ranked as the ninth-best ERA in the American League, and he ranked second in homers/nine innings (0.8), seventh in pitches per inning (15.8) and seventh in groundball percentage (49).

Cashner dealt with right biceps tendinitis early in the year, but it didn't bother him as the season went on. His home ERA of 2.72 was fifth in the AL and his ERA of 3.02 after July 1 ranked seventh. Showing a four-seam fastball at 94 mph, he had 18 quality starts and Texas went 14-14 when he was on the mound.

But Cashner is not an innings eater and has made more than 30 starts just one time in his career. In the first five innings of his starts, his ERA was 2.58. After that it was 7.04. He led the major leagues, allowing a .170 batting average when pitching with runners in scoring position.

Tyler Chatwood: This right-hander who will be 28 on opening day went 8-15 with a 4.69 ERA for Colorado and tied for the National League lead in losses. But before you rule him out, he has been a different pitcher in his career away from Coors Field.

Last year, he went 3-8 with a 6.01 ERA and .302 average against at home. On the road, he was 5-7 with a 3.49 ERA and .200 average against. For his career, he has a 5.25 ERA with a 1.14 homers/nine innings at home and an ERA of 3.31 with 0.71 homers/nine on the road. Could he produce numbers like that over 162 games, he would be a nice addition for any team. His road ERA the last two years is 2.57, which ranks fifth in the NL.

A second-round pick of the Angels in 2008, Chatwood was pulled from the Rockies rotation save for one start between July 26 and Sept. 2. But he returned to the rotation late in the year and went 2-2 with a 2.92 ERA over five starts.

Chatwood had Tommy John surgery in July 2014 and missed all of the 2015 season. It was his second TJ procedure, the first when he was 16 and in high school.

Chatwood averaged 95 mph on his fastball, which he threw 64 percent of the time, and 90 mph on his slider, which he threw 21 percent. His walk rate is a concern. It was 4.7 per nine last year and is 4.2 for his career.

Miguel Gonzalez: Would the Orioles consider a reunion with 33-year-old right-hander Miguel González? In 27 starts between the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers, he went 8-13 with a 4.62 ERA over 156 innings. He allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings with a homer rate of 1.3, a walk rate of 3.2 and a rate of 5.8 strikeouts for every nine frames.

González was pitching very well when the White Sox traded him to Texas on Aug. 31. In nine starts before the deal, he went 3-2 with a 3.11 ERA. But in five starts for Texas, he went 1-3 with a 6.45 ERA and allowed six homers in 22 1/3. Gonzalez recorded 15 quality starts and his teams went 11-16 in his outings.

He struggled when facing batters for a third time, allowing a .324 batting average. On his 76th through 100th pitches for the year, he allowed a slash line of .343/.387/.591.

That is not good, but would González turn it around with the Orioles? He went 39-33 with an ERA of 3.82 for the Orioles from 2012-15 and was released on April 1, 2016. The man who often throws his "splitty," as he calls it, is a free agent. He's still got a good split, but AL batters hit .288 off his fastball and .331 off his slider in 2017.

Earlier, in this entry, we looked at free agent pitchers Alex Cobb, Lance Lynn and Jason Vargas.