Ubaldo Jimenez can offer advice to any pitcher who signs late

SARASOTA, Fla. - As the Orioles attempt to sign another starting pitcher, with Yovani Gallardo still atop the wish list while negotiations drag on, Ubaldo Jimenez can tell them a thing or two about arriving late to camp and getting acclimated.

The Orioles didn't sign Jimenez until Feb. 19, 2014, five days before they brought in outfielder Nelson Cruz.

"It's going to take a little bit of time," Jimenez said today. "It doesn't matter if you tell yourself it's not. It will because it's a different adjustment. You have to come to a new team, you're meeting new guys and new pitching coaches. It's a new adjustment, but he's a veteran guy. He's been in the big leagues for eight, nine years, so he's going to find a way to get where he needs to be."

The Orioles are trying to reach agreement with Gallardo. I was told a few days ago that the main holdup involves the amount of guaranteed money. Whatever the case, both sides have stayed optimistic.

The club also retains interest in Tim Lincecum, proving that you never can have enough starting pitching.

No matter who arrives in camp, the rest of the staff will be ahead of them. Jimenez can relate.

"Probably knowing a couple of the guys makes it easier for everyone," he said. "You know somebody in the clubhouse who makes you feel comfortable."

The rotation still has a hole in it from Wei-Yin Chen's departure. Jimenez said he'll miss his former teammate.

"For sure," Jimenez said. "He's a great guy. Not only a good pitcher, but a great guy in the clubhouse. But it's a part of baseball. You have to move on. You get new teammates every day, but we're definitely going to miss him because he's a great guy."

Jimenez doesn't stay glued to the Internet for repeated updates, but he's aware of the Orioles' plans to add at least one more pitcher.

"Of course, you pay attention to the team you play for and hope we improve every year and sign new guys," he said. "Especially the guys who came back, we needed that. I was really excited, looking for news every day that they'd come back.

"That's what I was expecting. Having everybody back together obviously took a lot from the front office to go out there and bring those guys back. It wasn't going to be easy because they are really good and everybody was going to be competing for them."