Once again, the Baltimore Orioles have had a free-agent contract fall apart as a result of their stringent physical examination.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the O’s and outfielder Angel Pagan agreed to a deal at some point, then the club walked away after finding something they didn’t like in his physical. It’s unclear when the two sides agreed to the contract and when the physical took place.
Here’s what Greg Genske, Pagan’s agent, told Heyman:
“Angel is an amazing athlete who is in top physical condition. He had a full and very productive season last year for the Giants and is ready to make an impact this season for a new club,” Genske said.
It should be noted Pagan, 35, is healthy enough to play in the World Baseball Classic. He played left field and batted leadoff Friday night in Puerto Rico’s first WBC game. Pagan went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in Puerto Rico’s mercy-rule win over Venezuela.
Last season Pagan hit .277/.331/.418 (100 OPS+) with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 125 games for the Giants. He did miss two weeks with a hamstring strain, though that doesn’t seem like the kind of injury that could scare away a team during a pre-signing physical. Here are Pagan’s other notable injuries over the years:
- 2015: Missed three weeks with patella tendinitis.
- 2014: Missed six weeks with a back strain.
- 2013: Missed two months with a hamstring strain.
Pagan has been no stranger to the disabled list, that’s for sure, but he hasn’t had any chronic injuries like lingering shoulder problems or a nagging wrist injury. There’s a pretty good chance the O’s found something in Pagan’s physical unrelated to his previous injuries. He will be 36 in July and baseball has a way of wearing the body down.
The Orioles are notoriously tough with their physicals. Last offseason they agreed to a three-year contract with Yovani Gallardo, then revised their offer to a two-year contract after seeing something in his physical. Grant Balfour, Tyler Colvin and Jair Jurrjens have also had deals with the O’s fall apart due to their physicals over the years.
Baltimore’s concerns weren’t unfounded in some of those cases. Gallardo missed time with a shoulder injury last season. Balfour’s performance collapsed soon after his deal with the O’s fell apart. Jurrjens has had ongoing injury issues for years.
The O’s will go into the 2017 with Hyun Soo Kim and Seth Smith flanking Adam Jones in the outfield. Mark Trumbo and Joey Rickard could also see time out there. Rule 5 Draft picks Anthony Santander and Aneury Tavarez could also be in the mix.