Jeff Hoffman signed a three-year, $33MM contract with the Blue Jays this evening. The righty nearly landed with a division rival. Robert Murray of FanSided reports that Hoffman and the Orioles had agreed to terms on a three-year, $40MM contract earlier this week. According to Murray, Baltimore pulled out of the deal after the physical revealed something related to his throwing shoulder that concerned the organization. Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet write that Baltimore continued to pursue Hoffman and made him a revised offer after backing out of the initial terms, but the All-Star reliever turned his attention elsewhere.
Teams have different standards for the injury risk that they’re willing to tolerate on prospective signings or trade acquisitions. The Orioles have a reputation for being particularly attentive to the physical. The O’s backed out of agreements with Grant Balfour and Tyler Colvin, respectively, in 2013 and ’14. They restructured their agreement with Yovani Gallardo during the 2015-16 offseason because of concerns about his shoulder. Those situations all predated the hiring of general manager Mike Elias and the franchise’s sale to owner David Rubenstein. This could certainly be coincidental.
Hoffman has not spent any time on the injured list over the last two years. He missed a good portion of the second half of 2022 because of a forearm issue. Hoffman did miss around two months in 2021 due to a shoulder impingement. He was sidelined between May 27 and July 21 that season. The injury did not require surgery.
Other teams have failed free agent physicals, of course. The most famous instance was when the Giants and Mets each pulled out of agreements with Carlos Correa because of concerns about his ankle during the 2021-22 offseason. The Yankees reportedly pulled out of a deadline trade to acquire Jack Flaherty from the Tigers last summer because of concerns about his back. That’s not a direct parallel, as the Yanks had issues with Flaherty’s medical records rather than conducting their own physical.
The Flaherty situation illustrates that different clubs’ medical departments could have diverging opinions on a player’s health. The Dodgers traded for the righty within hours of the Yankees deal falling through. (Flaherty stayed healthy for the stretch run with Los Angeles.) Hoffman’s physical wound up costing him $7MM in guaranteed money, though he can earn up to $6MM back via innings-based incentives. It’s not clear whether his agreement with Baltimore would have included any performance bonuses.
Baltimore quickly pivoted to their next bullpen target. The O’s agreed to a one-year, $10MM deal with righty Andrew Kittredge last night. He’ll join Yennier Cano, Seranthony Domínguez and Keegan Akin in front of closer Félix Bautista, who is returning from 2023 Tommy John surgery.
Kill joys.
Honestly I’d rather get Kittredge for 1/10 then Hoffman 3/40 if you’re a team with payroll constraints like Baltimore
The Orioles owner bought a copy of the Magna Carta for fun. Why would they have payroll constraints?
Rubinstein bought the Magna Carta so it wouldn’t leave the U.S and has it loaned out to the National Archives in DC.
Because an owner’s personal wealth doesn’t really have anything to do with the payroll of a team. Billionaires do not become billionaires by recklessly giving away their money to their employees.. Teams spend REVENUE on their payroll. Owners can live with not making a huge profit off MLB teams, but they are not about to lose any personal money on them. That is not what successful businessmen do.
Clearly they do still, I’m a long suffering A’s fan so I’m probably as upset as you about it. But everyone knows they neeed an ace and there were plenty available and they didn’t get one
There appears to be an exception, but yes, I think that’s how they roll. It would be how I would roll. My daughters would most certainly be making sure their inheritance wasn’t being adversely affected.
The man is a 75 year old billionaire and lifelong Orioles fan. I can’t imagine he bought the team to just be another source of income. The Orioles need to start supplementing their roster while they still have their homegrown stars on affordable deals
Steve Cohen doesn’t agree.
Cohen is the exception, not the rule. And he is also new to the game. A few years down the road of losing money will make him change his tune. Either that or he will go broke. When you are talking about the kind of money associated with an MLB payroll, even $3 billion won’t last all that long.
Having $3 billion means you can lose $100 million per year for 30 years before you’re broke…
@hiflew what about $22 billion?
Nonsense, of course. Cohen is worth $20 billion—the richest owner, by far, in MLB.
He also is most probably banking on using the Mets and Citi Field as his home basis as an entertainment expansion into a Casino..hotels…and whatever he can convince the city to allow on Citi Field property…..he make $$$$millions off of that also….
I was using an example, I don’t need to know someone else’s net worth. The point was that even huge numbers can go away if you are subtracting from it.
And how much of that $22 billion is LIQUID? Having money on paper is not really having money. You only have that if someone is willing to pay you that price for what you have. Stock prices go up and down. Commodities go up and down. Trillions are gained and lost on a daily basis on Wall Street and elsewhere.
And are you just going to sit there for 30 years watching that $100 million go away each year? If so, I am going to give you a spoiler for your life…you will never be wealthy.
Totally agree. The exception, sometimes, is when an owner is late in life and wants to see a championship before they pass.
@letsgo,
atleast the MLBPA grievance sparked something, albeit that avenue ‘should’ve’ never needed to be used. Although not an ace, Sevie should bring some life and clubhouse positivity over there.
@fopp, remember to share that with them at the toy or clothing store next time, haha
@g20falcon. I would agree with that caveat. I think the Tigers previous owner did that before he passed . Didn’t work and set the franchise back years. Of course the bad luck with their #1 picks, and foolish spending on Javy Baez had a lot to do with it also.
Don’t be naive. The Orioles could run a much higher payroll than they currently are.
Having $3 billion means you can lose $100 million per year for 30 years before you’re broke…
============================
I need to tell my wife that. I am going to keep spending our life savings to buy BB cards. I’m sure she’ll understand.
It amazes me how so many fans make excuses for their owners not spending more on payroll. These teams are raking in the money.
Both sides take in $5-6 billion every year. I don’t take sides in how they divvy up my money.
But to expect someone to spend more than are taking in, is pure entitlement. No other business owner does that.
Ha ha. They are a bit old for the toy store and Dad doesn’t want anything to do with clothes stores. But it’s a valid come back when the inevitable cash flow issues arise ! Thanks. In their defence, tough times for financial independence rookies.
Ha ha. Gold.
Honestly, you should never expect a World Series Championship for Baltimore, if you think they have payroll constraints. Time to be a Yankee fan.
Never! I enjoy watching the Yankees lose almost as much as I enjoy watching the Os win.
To answer your question Cohen has billions of dollars in assets that are liquid. Being that his core his business is in the equity markets.
Be different if he was a big RE guy. He can lose money on the Mets forever if he wants to.
Bird bath battle
ROFL!!! Bird bath battle!
He got Balfoured.
I thought the Angelos family sold the Orioles.
Of course….f’n jays
I thought it was interesting they got him for a reasonable price.
maybe because he’s got health issues?
Baltimore helping Rogers Communications save a few bucks. Peace offering to the Canadians before the tariffs tank their GDP. Orioles medical staff going to win the Roberto Clemente award next year for services to our northern neighbors.
What an amazingly dumb comment.
Just an FYI, but tariffs aren’t paid by the country exporting the goods. they are passed onto US citizens in higher prices. Economics 101, but it is remarkable how many suffer ignorance when it comes to tariffs. It is the US GNP that suffers, NOT Canada’s. Were YOU not watching 2017 – 2020 when the US economy crashed and six companies LEFT the nation for Europe, Mexico, and Canada. Probably not if you watched right-wing media. lol I’m sure you heard of Harley Davidson, Hallmark, Ford, Chrysler, Carrier, and Facelle. Del Monte closed their canneries due to aluminum tariffs imposed by Trump. oops. lol
It’s also remarkable how Trump has managed to win two presidential elections thanks to the support of low-information voters like MacGromit, who swallow every piece of BS they’re fed by Fox News, Newsmax, One America News et al and don’t concern themselves with facts.
How did MLB discussion turn into politics? Can we please keep politics out of baseball, it’s one of the few joys I have in life.
Pompous arrogant blowhard
Arrogant pompous blowhard
And a liar as well…
Satire lost on the TDS addled
Seahawks19081 – There are always a couple of douchebag comments on every Blue Jays article on MLBTR by some sleazebag idiot. Canadians don’t back down from any challenge.
It was actually 3, Baron.
Amen, brother.
Blue Jays fans are loyal fans.
I just mute them if they have nothing to add baseball wise.
Blue Baron
It’s also remarkable how Trump has managed to win two presidential elections thanks to the support of low-information voters
==========================
LOL! Y’all lost because you ran the village idiot. We haven’t had a good president since Clinton, but the past four years we had someone with declining mental faculties, and you followed that up by selecting
someone that was actually less-qualified than Trump? For all Trump’s mental issues, he occasionally stumbles across a good idea. Harris has problems talking in complete sentences.
It’s pretty obvious at this point who has TDS and it’s not the people against Trump. It’s the people who support him. They’ll believe anything he says, no matter how ridiculous.
Lol at MacGrommit thinking tariffs are going to tank Canada’s GDP. Any idiot who thinks American consumers aren’t going to foot the bill for all those tariffs deserves to be penniless.
I heard Greenland offered to build a stadium for the Rays
I mean, yes but when Americans buy an American equivalent instead the tariff has served its purpose.
Industry doesn’t spring up overnight and American unemployment is already very low. Not to mention many of the products Trump plans to tariff, like steel and lumber, are needed to construct the infrastructure necessary to start new industries.
Lol Sid thinks ppl will just “buy American” – stupid. American costs substantially more, and does not exist in a vacuum – imports from our neighbors are needed for many products, and not everything has an American-made equivalent anyways. Oh and the cost to move manufacturing is high, so starting up American-made equivalents means high prices. Oh and unemployment is already very low.
Some people will bend over backwards to show their stupidity in service to the Cheeto Fuhrer.
It’s not that linear.
1-Manufacturers will absorb some of the tariffs just to keep their products on the shelf.
2-Consumers will buy substitute products. If your eggs are $1, and ours are $1.10, they will buy our eggs if we 20% to the cost of your eggs.
3-Assuming that the US consumer spends the same amount as last year, jobs will move to the US.
4-Overseas manufacturers will be encouraged to relocate some manufacturing to the US. Honda has built 30M cars in the US in the past 40 years.
I’d make the US/Canada a tariff and passport-free zone, but the downside of the tariffs isn’t what you think it is.
Yes, it is. There is a tolerance companies will bear, but the burden always eventually goes to the consumer. Learn history, Joe. Or just look at late 2019 when industries were at their breaking point on THAT round of stupid tariffs and only managed to not pass on massive price increases because covid tanked everything.
Ah, THAT’S how Toronto was able to finally sign someone! I thought there might be something..
He had to flee the country.
Toronto’s hit on a new market inefficiency. Guys who won’t be able to play.
Would you rather have Correa or Adames with their current contracts?
Correa has a higher-ceiling and the Twins have their first team option to show him the door before he turns 34. If he vests, he’s earned it.
His option can vest with an LCS – MVP award. So theoretically he could be injured the whole regular season and still bank that money for the following year.
And it would be worth it for the Twins if Correa is a perennial catalyst for the Twins to reach the World Series. The World Series revenue would help more than pay his next year’s salary.
That’s really not the point Yankees made the WS and are expected to have a lower payroll this year. Just cause you make the $ doesn’t mean teams spend it. Especially a smaller/mid market like Minnesota. Also means the Twins were good enough without him too. But again just theoretically speaking.
Lindor!
As a Jays fan this revelation is uh, not good.
They’ll probably stretch him out to start now.
It’s already been stated they want him to close
You missed the sarcasm.
Even I feel sorry for them.
Yeah…but he gets free healthcare….
Not really.
It’s actually no good, eh
It’s not good, but a 3 year deal is not going to cripple them.
When you finish last you’re looking for more in the offseason than ‘not going to cripple them’.
Besides, are we even allowed to say ‘cripple them’ anymore? Don’t we have to say something like ‘differentially able them’? ‘A 3 year deal is not going to differentially able them’.
or surprising…
The dreaded Orioles physical strikes again
Oh now things make more sense.
I’ll take that bet
My man got Correa’d
Makes me wonder if that is the reason the Phillies let him walk.
Good. His career ERA sucks.
5 years in Colorado will do that to you.
lol……as a starter sure…..in the last 2 years he just happens to be an elite reliever…..can’t wait for the orioles to get passed by the jays this year. …. Love that Baltimore is moving the fences back in to appease babies like Henderson, while hosting one of the worst pitching staffs in the league….its gonna be good
Glad we’re moving in left field for a left handed hitter like Gunnar lol you know nothing
Anyone named Gunner……leaves me questioning their make up…..but you do you…..let’s have some fun this year as the O’s and Rays content for the biggest disappointment.
Well, his name is Gunnar, not Gunner. And that’s his given name, so regarding his make up, it should tell you that… you think too much about people using their given names.
BetterMoron
that sounds like a problem with you not them, anyone judging someone based solely on their name is an idiot
The Os look like they’re going to win 95 games with ease but ok
Mountcastle should benefit the most
Ah this old excuse again.
Not an old excuse.
This intense passing the physical requirement, as the article references, was under the old Peter Angelos regime. His son takes over. In comes Elias. He gambles on bringing in injured players and gets burned one too many times. Not surprised here. Also, related to thus I believe is letting go their trainer this off season. Yes?!
Don’t the Orioles have a (past) track record of doing this with free agents?
Yes, and they were right. Passed on Grant Balfour back in ‘13 and he was released by Tampa two years later after getting dunked on.
I think it’s worth pointing out that Balfour had no issues with the knee and wrist which is why they backed out of that offer. It could have impacted his performance, but the fact that he pitched poorly in Tampa doesn’t mean they were “right” in their diagnosis.
Yes and they’ve been right too.
I think the organization still has PTSD from the Glenn Davis trade
Big Baby?
Balfour…cut by the Rays after posting an ERA over 6.
Tyler Colvin…never saw the majors again; played Indy ball.
Angel Pagan…never played in the majors again.
They haven’t been wrong. For Hoffman’s sake, I hope he proves the O’s wrong, especially with all of the hype he had when drafted.
Gausman….?
Gausman was traded to ATL. He wasn’t a FA and it had nothing to do with medicals. You may want to consult a medical professional regarding the thickness of your skull.
Gausman wasn’t a physical issue, BetterMoron
Can’t we all just get along?
Different ownership/front office
@RedFraggle
Don’t confuse them with facts. Facts don’t matter to the unreasonable.
I think the fact that Baltimore still wanted to sign Hoffman shows that the injury is not as bad as people are making it out to be.
What part of “backed out” flew over your head?
Without knowing what BA subsequently offered, it is impossible to know how interested they were. Perhaps they offered Hoffman a on-year deal, and Hoffman already knew he had TO on the hook for $33M.
Always find it interesting we don’t really hear about a player until he signs, then we immediately get other news.
How does the baltimore news come out so soon after the Toronto signing
Likely held due to respect for the player’s free agent process.
There would a union grievance if a team released that before the player signed. And that team would look like garbage to free agents. Just like how a player doesn’t talk about a teams disrespectful offer until months or years after they sign.
There wasn’t when 2 teams revealed they had passed on Correa for medical reasons.
Not just respect, it’s the CBA
They’re not carnival personnel!
Every house gets inspected before it’s sold. Buyer beware.
Not in the current real-estate market!
If the Orioles were willing to spend on him, and I’m glad they were, they need to keep going after a high leverage reliever. They can’t just not spend that money now(they can, but it would majorly suck), and their bullpen needs it.
The Orioles need HITTING! The Orioles faded last year because they stopped HITTING! Victims of several freshman-sophomore-junior jinxes in the second half. Adley, Holliday, Westburg, Cowser had multiple months hitting .235 or FAR below. O’Neil will not replace Santander’s offense. Orioles need offense, ATP. Bautista, Kittredge, Seranthony, Cano, Soto and the occasional 6th starter out of the ‘pen, will have to do.
You know they’re allowed to improve both, right?
As it stands now, they’ve subtracted on offense from last year.. I don’t hold out much hope at getting much from Sanchez and Oneil doesnt replace Santander. Yankees pitching is better, Red Sox pitching is better, Tampa Bays pitching will be better..
Bullpen and offense will be the key. Bullpen could be the best in the division.
O’Neill rakes against lefties. The hope is that Kjerstad will replace Santander against righties. TOR starter would round the team out but there’s a lot of time before July.
I would be pretty shocked if any further position players are added (some might even be subtracted, i.e. Mountcastle or Urias), which is fine because we have a pretty elite offense with even more upside yet to be tapped.
That upside became downside for many of the Oriole hitters in the second half of the season. BTW, Oneil hit under ,200 for the last two months of the season, EVEN PLAYING IN FENWAY, the second easiest park to hit in, behind Coors Field.
That’s the effect of a very low BABIP. He had 9 HRs in 115 ABs with a 15/15 K/W. Those are good numbers.
So, it’ll be a 2 year 33M deal. Nope, not desperation, more like flailing.
Not necessarily. Shoulder issues aren’t as easily fixed as elbow issues. There’s no comparable surgery fix for shoulder injuries like TJ surgery for elbows.
I think the fact that Baltimore still wanted to sign Hoffman shows that the injury is not as bad as people are making it out to be.
But they didn’t want to. They backed out. Duh.
Orioles medical staff has been on the money with these concerns in the past.
Hoffman won’t make it 2 games into spring training
Are you willing to take a wager on that?
BetterMoron is a troll
Now take that 3/40 and lure Tanner Scott back into the fold.
Probably have to double both the years and the money for Scott. Not sure Baltimore will pay 6/80 for Scott. They seem to be keeping everything short term so they can keep the books free to extend their young core.
More like 5/75 as a start point or as high as 5/90-100. Keep dreaming dude
You’re right. That’s actually way more realistic. But my 2nd point still stands
That’s insane money for Tanner Scott. O’s don’t need another lefty and Elias already dealt the guy away once.
Loljays
I see the new owner is as much of an ahole as the last one.
I’m not following. Illuminate us all.
What a stupid comment
Found Jeff Hoffman’s burner
Orioles deem him not worth the risk. Always criticize the organization that declined finalizing the deal based upon what the medical results are. Given the huge dollars any and all teams are paying MLB talent, it is a fundamentally sound business decision. MLB contracts are guaranteed and any team is on the hook with they sign a contract. Orioles will never forget the Nolan Reimold disaster.
Rearrange the letters in REIMOLD and it was I MORE DL
Baltimore still wanted to sign him just at a reduced rate. Hoffman just told them to flock off.
Lol says Sportsnet. Is Ohtani on the plane?
Ooff!
Fear not, Jays fans. The O’s do this to actually not spend as much, but say, “hey we were trying, but medicals!”
Hoffman will be fine.
Stupid comment.
All ya got, huh, pal?
Congrats on not realizing the Orioles are under new ownership and are operating with a different front office than ones who previously nixed deals due to physicals. That was in the article BTW, so congrats on being able to write without being able to read.
Congratulations on assuming I didn’t read the article. Which I did, and of course I know full well about the O’s ownership, but who’s to say the philosophy didn’t carry through? What have the O’s done to change to perception? Congratulations on your gullibility I guess?
O’s generally haven’t been wrong about medicals. But keep acting like a condescending pompous d0uch3.
Ownership change don’t change the front office philosophy or the medical procedures in that short order. Those are things developed over years.
I was just having fun, you guys are ones attacking lol.
OP just trolled you guys. But to answer the question—O’s docs doing the medical reviews have not changed under Rubinstein. They’re medstar docs.
Doctors have differing opinions at times obviously. Yankees nixed Flaherty at the deadline but the Dodgers thought he was Ok. We’ll see who was correct in time. Wouldn’t bet against our medical team though.
I can only remember 4 other times they did this, but each time the Orioles medical staff was right about the injury.
Hoffman will be fine.
======================
Do you have any evidence to support that statement, or is it just ‘feelings’?
Blue Jays ain’t afraid of no physicals!
The Orioles doctors are the most strict docs in MLB when it comes to physicals, however they usually are correct.
All the players they flagged eventually went down to injury. I would be surprised if Hoffman lasts the 3 years without breaking down at one point.
Mlbfan78;
How about MLBTR do some real investigations and show us how many bullpen pitchers signed multi-year contracts and pitched well most of the time.
Injuries are normal with pitchers today, and bullpenners are the worst because they don’t have enough pitches to pitch multiple innings, so they depend on one or two pitches using speed and spin. That puts pressure on so many parts of the arm, shoulder, etc.
The best bullpens today are those of small market teams the use youngsters with years of control, that are inexpensive so if they go down they’re replaced with other youngsters from the farm system.
Large and many mid-market teams are the ones that take on salaries of relievers having a good year and playing out their option as the trade deadline is coming up, to replace their injured bullpenners. Note how many of those teams then let the guy go after the season. Heck, think the Padres had any intension of signing Tanner Scott after 2024 to a multi-year contract? If they’re in contention in 2025 they can always trade a few so-so prospects and take on a salary for a few months……and those bullpenners having good years often follow them with a few years of eh. Bullpenners have been the most volatile segment of a ML team for decades.
Samuel;
By my count there has been 17 top 50 free agent relievers that have signed multi year deals since 2020. Of those 17, 6 missed significant time with injuries (Hendriks, May, Treinen, Graveman, Melancon, Stephenson)
7 others made it through their contracts without any major injuries, or will in 2025 with a healthy season, while guys like Tepera or Montero have been waived before the contract was complete without getting injured.
It would be pretty surprising if players who signed long deals last year like Hader or Matsui don’t eventually miss time due to the length of their contracts.
Honestly I just hope Hoffman goes out there and proves my O’s wrong. As noted in the article we’ve had our share of backing out of contracts based on physicals, justified in hindsight or not. But after the injuries we’ve had in the last year or two you really can’t blame them for being extra cautious.
The kind of money teams have to throw around these days, I don’t blame anyone going over physicals with a fine tooth comb…or stethoscope. In fact, I would expect it.
I’m assuming the Jays did a physical as well, but didn’t see as big a problem as the O’s did. Guess we’ll see. As an older Jays fan I remember the nightmare David Wells for Mike SIrotka deal back in the 2000/2001 offseason. A 20 game winner for a guy who looked damn good at the time, but he never threw even a spring training pitch for the Jays. I figure he was the last straw for Gord Ash’s career as a GM. Guessing Ash was counting on the league overturning the trade if the guy was hurt, but they didn’t.
As the article says, Baltimore still wanted to sign Hoffman.
Says Sportsnet. Real credible lol
It seems like each of the 5 or 6 times that the Orioles have done this over the years, the player flopped when he signed elsewhere.
The Os docs are never wrong
I don’t understand how the cap works in the NFL. So if Geno Smith has a 2025 salary of 25 mill why is the “cap hit” something like 43 million?? So confusing
Salary: The actual money a player earns in a given year.
Cap Hit: The average annual value of a player’s contract that counts against the team’s salary cap, including prorated signing bonuses.
Example:
A player might have a $10 million annual salary, but if they have a large signing bonus spread out over 5 years, their “cap hit” each year might only be $8 million.
There is no salary cap in MLB. There is a competitive balance tax threshold above which teams pay a tax on payroll higher than that. Teams can spend as much as they would like to spend.
The guy I was responding to was asking about the NFL. I’m fully aware of all that
Originally when I saw the deal he signed, I was mad the Braves didn’t get it. But now knowing the Orioles backed out cause of some physical concerns, I’m cool with this. And I really wanted him to give starting a try again with the Braves and fall back into the bullpen if that didn’t work
Does anyone find it fishy that Hoffman’s 2024 club, Philadelphia, didn’t make much of an effort to retain him?
Telling rather than fishy.
I wonder if part of the decision not to bring back the player is injury concerns but also possibly regrets over a poor postseason results where maybe they think the player has trouble with the extra pressure
I thought NYM kind of punished Chris Bassitt when his results were underwhelming in the playoffs and he eventually signed with TOR. They didn’t want to bring him back at any price. Shades of a George Steinbrenner type decision
If it was just Philly, I’d assume it was because they don’t want to break the $300M barrier. Now that it is a second team, then I’d be more suspicious.
I completely read part of the article wrong. I read it as the O’s backed from the Hoffman deal with Grant Balfour and Tyler Colvin. Thinking those two were part of the O’s front office.
I remember very vividly Tyler Colvin getting stabbed by a broken batoff while he was running from 3rd to home. It punctured his lung. It was off the bat of Wellington Castillo. Who ironically played for the O’s during his career.
I remember back when Xavier Hernandez signed with the Orioles and the doctors flagged him and they passed on signing him.
He signed a deal with Houston instead and never made it out of spring training and that was it for him.
Since failed physicals are rare, it’ll be interesting to see that list of players by team and how their careers went.
Kirby Yates 2.0
Interestingly the two deals they backed out of yielded decidedly different results; in 2013 Balfour had an All Star season with Oakland, however, in 2014 Colvin would play his last 57 largely unproductive MLB games with Giants (though not due to injuries). Time will tell if the Orioles made the right choice or not on Hoffman
That’s not even true, the O’s backed out of the deal in December of 2013. We tried to sign him after he had that amazing 2013 season. It seems like when we are worried about medicals, we are right. He was horrible after we backed out of that contract
My mistake as the wording of the article made me think it was prior to the 2013 season, not after
This feels like a HIPAA violation
Not technically, as long as they don’t necessarily reveal what they think is the problem is. Sometimes it becomes public like with the Giants and Mets both backing out of deals with Carlos Correa over concerns about his ankle, and sometimes it’s left vague like the Yankees pulling out of a trade for Flaherty after concerns over his pre-trade physical
The O’s used to do this a lot, but with an important difference. They’d agree to a market contract, but then flunk the player on the physical. Next, they’d tell anyone who’d listen about how badly the player failed their physical. Finally, after the player’s market was completely destroyed, they’d come back & try to sign the guy for pennies on the dollar. Worked a few times over a couple of years, but then players/agents caught on & the O’s stopped getting FA’s with any other option. Seem to be handling it a little better this time.