Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Orioles and Mets are among the teams “involved in talks” with free agent reliever Antonio Bastardo.
It’s been several weeks since reports had Bastardo seeking a deal similar to fellow left-hander Tony Sipp’s three-year, $18 million contract with the Astros. It’s unclear if teams are actually willing to approach those numbers in pursuing the 30-year-old, but he’s certainly one of the top remaining free agent pitchers and is coming off a good season with the Pirates.
Bastardo has a 3.58 ERA in 316 career innings, including a 2.98 ERA and 64/26 K/BB ratio in 57 innings last season. His control comes and goes, but his slider is fantastic and he misses tons of bats.
