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Free agency worth the wait for ex-Ray Alex Cobb

It took longer than he expected but Alex Cobb happy with the contract that makes him an Oriole for the next four seasons.
 
Alex Cobb talks with new Orioles teammate Pedro Alvarez during Friday's game against the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. (Chris Urso, Times)
Alex Cobb talks with new Orioles teammate Pedro Alvarez during Friday's game against the Rays at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. (Chris Urso, Times)
Published March 23, 2018|Updated March 24, 2018

SARASOTA Alex Cobb's waiting ended Wednesday when he signed a four-year, $57 million contract with the Orioles, making him the last of the top free-agent starting pitchers to sign with a team during an offseason that stretched into spring training because of the historically slow market for premium players.

Of course it would, Cobb said.

"I told (wife) Kelly and my family my career has been so crazy to this point, why would I expect it to be a normal free agency?" Cobb said Friday morning at his new locker in the Orioles clubhouse at Ed Smith Stadium.

"Obviously the offseason wasn't what we were expecting, the pace that it moved at, but ultimately it ended exactly with everything we could have asked for going into it."

RELATED: What Alex Cobb thought heading into his final year as a Ray

Cobb, who wears No. 17 and looks only a little strange in Baltimore's orange and black after all those seasons in Rays' blue, is happy to be pitching for a team that caused him fits during his career and for an organization that he said showed interest at the start of free agency, remained in touch throughout and came in hot at the end.

"When I first looked at the free agency list not knowing what we were going to do, I thought he was as good as a guy out there when you consider all factors," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Showalter likes how Cobb grew up pitching in the American League East. He loves how Cobb always battled against his offense. Showalter said Cobb is a welcome addition to a team that could use a jolt of starting pitching.

"He's a guy who's going to give you a chance to win on the days he starts," Showalter said. "We've been through so many periods when we didn't know how (many runs) is going to be enough each night. He can make runs matter. When you score runs, he makes them matter. That changes the complexion of the game when you go out there and put a zero up."

Cobb, who rejected the Rays' $17.4 million qualifying offer in November, said 10 to 15 teams contacted him at the start of free agency. Some dropped out while others entered the picture. The Cubs are believed to have showed the most interest, and the two sides exchanged figures, but Cobb said at no time did the Cubs put a take-it or leave-it offer on the table. Nor, he said, did the Rays inquire about him returning on a one-year deal as many speculated after top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell had Tommy John surgery earlier in the spring.

"There was so much interest from so many different teams," Cobb said. "It's so hard to explain. I never did lose faith that we were going to have to settle for a one-year (contract) or anything like that. I always saw that with the interest involved, the conversations we were having, the direction we were heading with multiple teams, that we were going to end in this general area for years."

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he spoke with Cobb earlier this week.

"He's one of the more stubborn players I've ever been around," Cash said. "But he was stubborn this offseason, and I'm glad he got a good deal."

RELATED: Alex Cobb says goodbye to Rays fans

Cobb will throw to hitters Monday for the first time this spring. He will begin the year in the minors, using his last option. He expects to join the Orioles organization in mid-April with the financial side of his career no longer an underlying concern.

"What a wonderful life I have and opportunity I have," he said. "When you think back on your first day of signing with the Rays and all the people that you played with along the way, all we ever dreamt about was having the opportunity to make it to the big leagues. Once you get to the big leagues, all the guys talk about is how cool it would be to get to free agency. I've accomplished all those things.

"That's the business side of things you think about. That's a pretty cool opportunity I've been given throughout the course of my career. Obviously the only end goal in all of this is to win a World Series. Now I can solely focus on that and not worry about any type of business side of things."

Contact Roger Mooney at rmooney@tampabay.com. Follow @rogermooney50.