Orioles to Sign Randy Wolf

The Baltimore Orioles have been in dire need of starting pitching for much of the season, yet they remain in the lead for an American League wild card slot and sit currently just 3.5 games back of the Yankees in the AL East. Buck Showalter’s club has been getting by with sound fundamentals, timely hitting, and one of the best bullpens in baseball. But they aren’t exactly resting on their laurels.

Just days after trading for Joe Saunders, the O’s appear close to landing veteran southpaw Randy Wolf, who was released by Milwaukee earlier this month. Wolf posted a 3-10 record for the Brewers and 5.69 ERA. I don’t want to oversell this, because Wolf was disappointing in Milwaukee this year, but he probably pitched better than his numbers indicate, given that his BABiP was 62 points higher than his career average.

The Brewers are responsible for all but the pro-rated major league minimum for Wolf’s services. He was due to make $9.5 million this year.

Like Saunders before him, Wolf represents an upgrade over most of the starters Showalter has been forced to use, even if his luck doesn’t turn. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Baltimore didn’t also take a run at Erik Bedard, a former O’s ace who was given his walking pares by Pittsburgh late last night.

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