GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Wandering Ubaldo Jimenez has finally found a home. It was never going to be Cleveland unless something extreme happened.

While the conditions turned tenuous for The Big U, they never turned so extreme that he had to return to the Indians, hat in hand, to take a below market deal. Still, Jimenez twisted in the free-agent winds for a long time before agreeing to a four-year $50 million deal with Baltimore on Monday.

Jimenez does have to pass a physical.

Late last season, when Jimenez and the Indians were at their best, it was clear inside the organization that the 6-5 right-hander would not be back. The front office enjoyed watching Jimenez pitch them into the postseason for the first time since 2007, but they did not think that outweighed his inconsistent body of work since arriving in Cleveland in July of 2011 in a trade with Colorado.

Jimenez drove the Tribe's powers that be to distraction with his wild performance swings. Jimenez went 13-21 with 5.30 ERA in his first one and a half seasons with the Tribe. He threw 18 wild pitches, issued 102 walks and allowed 143 earned runs in 243 innings.

In 2012, Jimenez almost turned in a rare triple crown, leading the AL in losses and wild pitches. He missed the third leg by finishing second in walks allowed.

Last year's 13-9 performance was not enough to convince the Indians that he was worth a multiyear deal even though they knew Mickey Callaway would be back this year as pitching coach. Jimenez credited Callaway with smoothing his complicated delivery to a point where he could repeat it on a consistent basis.

The Indians never had a problem with Jimenez’s effort and personality. He worked tirelessly to correct his flaws on the mound and caused none of the clubhouse tension that swirled around him in Colorado.

It just seemed that compared to what it would take to keep Jimenez, the Indians didn’t think he was worth the ulcers caused from watching him pitch. Was it a mistake if Jimenez has really turned a corner? Yes, because the Indians desperately need another quality starter.

Yet at this moment, no team knows Jimenez better than the Indians. They've lived with him for the last 2 ½ years. They sent four players, including No.1 picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, to Colorado in the deal. They sent trainers to the Dominican Republic to work with him in the offseason. Callaway made two trips to the Dominican last winter to establish a relationship with Jimenez.

If this turns out to be a miscalculation, it won’t be because of a rash decision by the Indians. Rather, it will be because of the hard work of Jimenez.

And never underestimate the power of cold hard cash. To hear the Indians talk this winter, they did their spending last offseason with the acquisitions of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. If Jimenez had won the Cy Young would that have made a difference in their spending? Well, we’ve been there and done that.

Jimenez's ups and down did not stop the Indians from making him a $14.1 million qualifying offer in November before he hit the open market. They knew he'd reject it and wanted to ensure themselves a draft pick between the first and second round if another team signed him.

They did not make Scott Kazmir the same qualifying offer because they felt the left-hander would take it. Kazmir, as it turned out, got paid anyway, signing a two-year $22 million deal with Oakland.

The Orioles forfeited their No.1 pick by signing Jimenez. They had the 17th overall pick and that disappears, meaning the Indians move from the 22nd pick to the 21st pick in the first round. The compensation pick they received for Jimenez should be somewhere in the mid-30s, giving them three picks before the second round of the draft.

Last year the Indians received a pick between the first and second round in the competitive balance lottery. It will come after the compensation pick for Jimenez.

So the Indians have that goingfor them.

The average annual value of Jimenez’s deal is $12.5 million. It’s less than the $17 plus million a year his agent was looking for, but no one in the Jimenez family is going to starve. The fact that he had to wait so long to find a team willing to pay him is a reflection of Jimenez’s uneven career and the qualifying offer that the Indians hung around his neck.

Ervin Santana and Kendrys Morales are still out there, twisting in the free-agent gale that Jimenez just escaped. Come next year, don’t be surprised if a free agent accepts a qualifying offer as soon as his old team makes it.