Notes on Chen, Parra and more offseason moves for the Orioles and Nationals

The Miami Marlins have signed pitcher Wei-Yin Chen and the Colorado Rockies have added outfielder Gerardo Parra, so that puts the Orioles in the middle of trade speculation and free agent signings with pitchers.

The news focus is left-handed batting outfielders, whether it is the Nationals or the Orioles.

Parra, who played for the Orioles last season, gets three years and $27 million. He gives the Rockies four left-handed hitting outfielders along with Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson. So does that mean the Orioles might be negotiating a trade with the Rockies?

The Rockies need pitching. The first pitcher they will ask the Orioles for is right-hander Kevin Gausman. The Rockies would trade Gonzalez, who has two years and $37 million left on his contract, or Blackmon in a minute if Gausman were in the trade.

Can't see the Orioles doing that.

Or would the Rockies settle for Tyler Wilson or Mike Wright?

Can't see the Rockies doing that.

It doesn't feel like there is a fit. The Orioles can't trade Gausman and expect to contend. That's why the Mets might be the favorite for Gonzalez or Blackmon. They have extra pitching and need an outfield bat.

Chen, 30, will be Miami's No. 2 starter behind Jose Fernandez. Fernandez is coming back from Tommy John surgery and will be on an innings limit. That means Chen will carry an even bigger load. He's never pitched more than 200 innings, but Marlins manager Don Mattingly says there is no reason Chen can't be an elite pitcher. Chen has been on the Marlins' radar since the end of the season.

Chen had a 3.72 ERA in his four seasons in Baltimore and was at 3.34 with 191 innings last season. The Orioles will miss him, but they weren't planning on him coming back anyway.

Chen will be the highest-paid pitcher in Marlins history. In addition to Fernandez, the Marlins' rotation will also have Tom Koehler and Jarred Cosart in addition to several prospects at the backend.

The Orioles, though, still need pitching. If they want to spend money, Yovani Gallarado would be their best option. He's a 200-inning guy, has been an opening day starter and has a solid ERA. If they want to go the low-risk, high-reward route, there's former National Doug Fister, Ian Kennedy and Mat Latos.

Fister was one of the Nationals' most consistent pitchers in 2014, but his sinker stopped working last season and he ended up in the bullpen. Nobody works harder than Fister. His work ethic and determination to get back to being a winner would be a good gamble.

Kennedy, 31, was supposed to be a stud in the Padres' contending rotation last season. After a slow start, he pitched well (3.64 ERA) in the second half of the season. He could be a 200-inning guy. Kennedy won 21 games for Arizona in 2011. He has a 3.97 career ERA.

Latos, 28, has been one the best pitchers in the National League with San Diego and Cincinnati, but injuries slowed him in Miami, as well as with the Dodgers and Angels in 2015. Latos would be a good fit, too. Latos was miserable last season, but it's hard to argue with ERAs of 2.92, 3.47, 3.48, 3.16 and 3.24 in his five previous seasons before going to Miami.

Speaking of left-handed outfield bats, the Orioles were interested in former National Denard Span, but Span ended up going West.

The Giants are gambling that Span (three years and $31 million) will be healthy, even though he's had three surgeries in the last nine months, including hip surgery on Sept. 1. Span, a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2013 and 2014, will be the Giants center fielder. Angel Pagan moves to left field.

The Giants are excited about their defense up the middle. They have catcher Buster Posey, shortstop Brandon Crawford, second baseman Joe Panik and Span in center. Span gives the Giants some of the best range defense in baseball.

It is 2016, so if the Giants continue their trend of winning the World Series every other year, Span is in a good position.

And the Nationals' new outfielder, Ben Revere, is also a left-handed batter and will help balance the Nationals' top-heavy right-handed batting lineup, one of their goals this offseason. Revere, who joins second baseman Daniel Murphy as the new lefties in the lineup, led the National League in hits with 184 as a Phillie in 2014.

As a Minnesota Twin, Revere was considered a potential American League batting champion. He seldom strikes out and is a good baserunner. His arm is weak.

The Twins traded Revere to Philadelphia for two starting pitchers, Trevor May and Vance Worley, now an Oriole, and the Phillies traded Revere to Toronto in a deadline deal last season.

Revere is eligible for free agency after the season. He's played all three outfield positions, and even though the Nationals aren't saying how they'll use Revere, it seems like he's the perfect candidate to hold down center field so that Michael A. Taylor can have time to grow and take over the center field job in 2017.

As far as Drew Storen goes, his up-and-down time with the Nationals is over. Give general manager Mike Rizzo credit: He kept saying he doesn't have to trade Storen, but he held out until he got a player that he needed.

Now the next question: Can the Nationals trade Jonathan Papelbon, the closer who choked Bryce Harper, before spring training begins, and if so, who is going to be in the back end of the bullpen?

The Blue Jays have 21-year-old Roberto Osuna as their closer and aren't saying if Storen will take over that role or not. Storen says he's happy doing whatever the Blue Jays ask.

He was ready for a new beginning. Not only did he get a new start, he got a new league in a new country.