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Ubaldo Jimenez signs with Baltimore Orioles

It's time to officially close the book on the possibility of bringing Ubaldo back.

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Ubaldo Jimenez has agreed to a deal with the Baltimore OriolesThe contract is for 4 years, $50 million. Jimenez turned down a 1-year, $14.1-million qualifying offer from the Indians, so this extension includes less money per year, but it guarantees him more than three times as much money, and shows that he was right to turn down to QO.

Jimenez was the Tribe's best pitcher for much of 2013, and was never really expected to re-sign with the Indians, but as weeks and weeks passed without a market for him seeming to develop, there was some sense he might end of back in Cleveland, perhaps on a one-year deal to rebuild more value and hit the market at the end of 2014. Those thoughts can now be put to rest entirely.

Justin Masterson, Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber, and Zach McAllister should all have rotation spots locked up for the start of the year, but Jimenez's departure (along with that of Scott Kazmir) leaves the Indians with a vacancy for the fifth spot. There are a number of pitchers in camp who'll be competing for the spot, including Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Harang, and Josh Tomlin. Shaun Marcum is also in the mix, but is not expected to be ready for Opening Day. We'll have more on each of those guys later this week, along with updates on the state of the competition throughout spring training.

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