When the Rangers extended a $15.8 million qualifying offer to starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo back in November, it was done with the expectation the veteran would turn it down — pretty much the line of thinking any time a player is given a qualifying offer.
Now, after months of being in limbo, the Rangers can finally breathe a sigh of relief after Gallardo agreed to a new deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday for $35 million over three years, meaning the Orioles forfeit their No. 14 overall draft pick and the Rangers get an extra first-rounder as compensation for losing Gallardo.
Gallardo, who is a Mexico native but went to high school in Fort Worth, pitched well for the Rangers in 2015 in his lone season with his hometown team, but there was never really a thought the Rangers seriously wanted to make a run at him as a free agent.
Gallardo should be remembered fondly around these parts for helping keep the Rangers' injury-ravaged staff together early in the season, and it's a huge win for the Rangers that he didn't go to a division rival but instead to the AL East where he can face a Blue Jays lineup he mastered last year five or six times, potentially helping out the Rangers in the long run.
