MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark made a trip to Orioles Spring Training over the weekend, and "expressed his own concerns about the strange saga of free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler and the circumstances that led to changes in pitcher Yovani Gallardo's new contract," according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore SUN. Clark agreed with Fowler's agent, Excel Sports Management Partner Casey Close, that the Fowler situation was "handled poorly by both the Orioles and the media." Clark: "It's a very dangerous place to exist when information makes its way out that may not be 100-percent accurate." Clark "would not reveal whether Close made a formal complaint to the union about what he claimed was a violation of collective bargaining rules by the Orioles." But he did "express understandable reservations about the security of his membership's medical information in his response to questions about the fallout from Gallardo's physical." The Orioles "never announced that they were re-examining Gallardo's pitching shoulder or that there was any irregularity found there." But somehow the fact that the shoulder "was the reason for the delay became public knowledge, which had to come from someone associated with the team" (Baltimore SUN, 2/28). Fowler, who ultimately signed with the Cubs, compared the "tedious free agent process to being in 'corporate America.'" He stressed that he "did not tell" the Orioles or CF Adam Jones "that he was signing with them" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/26). In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote it is "laughable" that Close pointed fingers at Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette for the Orioles front office leaking information. Duquette is "one of the more tight-lipped executives in sports" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/28).
FLYING SOUTH: In Baltimore, Eduardo Encina reported the Orioles have "long had interest in returning to Cuba to play an exhibition game there." If all goes well with the Rays’ exhibition game in Cuba next month, it "could open the door for the Orioles to follow." Since the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with Cuba in late '14, the Orioles "have been campaigning for a return trip to the country," but MLB "randomly selected the Rays to participate in the game" (Baltimore SUN, 2/28).
