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.