Baltimore Orioles: Should They Be Interested in Francisco Liriano?

The Baltimore Orioles are interested in trading for left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano according to Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports.

This is definitely an interesting move as the Orioles are trying to make a run at the New York Yankees while simultaneously holding off the rest of the American League East.

On one hand, Liriano has been great on occasion throughout his career. In fact, in 2010, which wasn't all that long ago, he went 14-10 with a 3.52 ERA. The Baltimore Orioles would definitely not mind having an arm like that added to the rotation. They need to win baseball games.

However, even in that season he was unpredictable.

The unpredictability rises from the fact that he walks far too many hitters. Over his entire career, he averages 3.7 walks per nine innings. That is far too many unnecessary base runners.

The question then comes down to how risky Baltimore wants to be. Liriano has potential to do well, but he does have this issue with allowing too many people on the base paths.

On top of that, Morosi also mentioned that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still interested in Liriano.

With at least two teams in competition, the price tag will obviously be higher than it would be if the Orioles were the only team in contention. The Angels also have a decent incentive to take a risk as they are trying to keep up with the Texas Rangers.

Liriano might be able to help the Baltimore Orioles, but they need to be cautious. They cannot afford to buy him at any price. If a bidding war starts to develop, the potential reward is not worth all of the risk.

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