Dexter Fowler Pulls A DeAndre Jordan, Spurns Baltimore Orioles For Chicago Cubs

The Baltimore Orioles were finally doing it. They were finally putting the pieces in place to make a run at the 2016 AL East division crown. After signing Yovani Gallardo to a three-year deal (which has since turned into a two-year deal with an option for a third), the team had reportedly agreed to another three-year deal, this time with outfielder Dexter Fowler, on Tuesday night.

Always remember that things aren’t official until the last “t” is crossed and the last “i” is dotted.

Apparently, Fowler never officially signed that three-year deal with the Orioles and has decided to return to the Chicago Cubs on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2017. It’s a move that has shocked the entire baseball community, but Fowler says “this is where my heart is” in reference to the Cubs.

It will be interesting to see what this means for the Cubs’ lineup. It seemed that it was destined to be Kyle Schwarber in left, Jason Heyward in center and Jorge Soler in right against right-handed pitchers in 2016, but there’s obviously four players for three spots with Fowler back in town. Could the Cubs actually consider moving Schwarber to catcher on a full-time basis? Or will they send him to the bench?

As for the Orioles, this has thrown a massive wrench into their plans. Fowler would’ve started every day and was due to be the team’s leadoff hitter. There’s not another player available with Fowler’s skill set which makes the situation awfully dicey for the Orioles. Barring a trade, the team will have two of Nolan Reimold, Hyun Soo Kim, Dariel Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty or Mark Trumbo flanking Adam Jones every day in the outfield.