Baltimore Orioles: Steve Pearce off the board

Steve Pearce has chosen Tampa over the Baltimore Orioles.

One of the mainstays on the Baltimore Orioles’ roster since the magical 2012 season is headed south. Within the past few days, the Tampa Rays signed Steve Pearce to a one-year deal (pending a physical – but with Dr. Koko Eaton overseeing things, all should be well there). Pearce is a native of Lakeland, FL, so in a sense this is somewhat of a homecoming for him.

Pearce was never the superstar third baseman or the slugging first baseman on the Orioles. But he was one of “Buck’s guys.” He was a good force in the clubhouse, and he did pretty much everything that he was asked to do for the team. Heck, the guy even played some middle…