Notes on Tillman, Navarro, Gallardo and more

SARASOTA, Fla. - While the Orioles continue their offseason spending spree, they apparently haven't reopened extension talks with the agent for pitcher Chris Tillman.

The sides discussed an extension in January 2015 and agreed to shut it down if an agreement couldn't be reached by opening day. The Orioles tossed out a preliminary figure, a source confirmed at the time, and nothing else came of it.

Tillman avoided an arbitration hearing last month by signing for $6.225 million. He can become a free agent following the 2017 season.

Tillman hasn't badgered agent Dan Horwitz, part of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, about possible negotiations.

"I had other worries this offseason," he said with a laugh.

"Whatever happens, happens. I don't feel strongly one way or the other. I love Baltimore and I'd love to stay here, but that's not my decision to make. Not right now, at least."

Tillman isn't reading anything into how the Orioles reached out to Horwitz last winter after he went 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA in a career-high 34 starts and 207 1/3 innings. He was 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA in 31 starts and 173 innings in 2015.

"I don't think about it at all, to tell you the truth. I hardly thought about it when it was going on," Tillman said.

"That's not my job. My job is to go out and play baseball and let them do their deal and make a decision when I have to."

* I forgot to mention yesterday that outfielder/first baseman Efren Navarro reported to camp. I tweeted the news, but omitted it from the blog.

Some fans may not care, but Navarro brings a reputation as one of the nicest guys in baseball. I had a brief interaction with him yesterday and can confirm it.

The Orioles acquired Navarro from the Angels on Jan. 26 for cash considerations.

* The Orioles have spent about $250 million on free agents this winter when factoring in Yovani Gallardo's guaranteed $35 million. That's a lot, right?

Gallardo will be paid $9 million this season, $11 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2018.

Do the Orioles remove a pitcher from their 40-man roster to make room for Gallardo? He'd increase their camp total to 31 pitchers.

Here's the latest look at the 40-man roster:

Pitchers
Brad Brach
Parker Bridwell
Zach Britton
Dylan Bundy
Odrisamer Despaigne
Oliver Drake
Jason Garcia
Kevin Gausman
Mychal Givens
Miguel Gonzalez
Ubaldo Jimenez
Chris Jones
Chris Lee
Brian Matusz
T.J. McFarland
Darren O'Day
Chaz Roe
Chris Tillman
Andrew Triggs
Tyler Wilson
Vance Worley
Mike Wright

Catchers
Caleb Joseph
Francisco Pena
Matt Wieters

Infielders
Chris Davis
Ryan Flaherty
J.J. Hardy
Manny Machado
Jimmy Paredes
Jonathan Schoop
Christian Walker

Outfielders
Dariel Alvarez
Adam Jones
Hyun Soo Kim
Efren Navarro
Nolan Reimold
Joey Rickard
Mark Trumbo
Henry Urrutia

* Gallardo can swing a bat, which will come in handy during interleague play or if manager Buck Showalter runs out of pinch-hitters. Though he's a career .198/.223/.333 hitter in nine seasons, he's got 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.

The Orioles can vouch for him. Gallardo beat them with a 10th-inning pinch-hit double on May 27, 2014 while playing for the Brewers.

Milwaukee used its last position player and Gallardo stood on deck with two outs. T.J. McFarland walked Mark Reynolds intentionally, fell behind Gallardo 2-0 and gave up the game-winner on a ball that slammed off the fence in left-center field.

The Angels' Albert Pujols is 15-for-32 with three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs lifetime versus Gallardo. Free agent Pedro Alvarez is 2-for-29 with 12 strikeouts.

Former Oriole Nelson Cruz is 6-for-10 with two home runs against Gallardo. The Blue Jays' Jose Bautista is 1-for-14.

I'll also add that Orioles infielder Paul Janish, a career .216 hitter in 1,115 major league at-bats, is 5-for-10 versus Gallardo.

Gallardo already has bonded with at least one Oriole. J.J. Hardy was a Brewers teammate from 2007-2009.

* Do the Orioles retain interest in pitcher Tim Lincecum now that they've agreed to terms with Gallardo?

I'm not sure how Lincecum would fit if he's determined to receive a major league deal. Barring a trade, the rotation is set with Tillman, Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman.