Orioles pitcher Andrew Cashner will consider sitting out if he’s traded

Andrew Cashner could be the most likely trade candidate on a Baltimore Orioles team that is rebuilding and once again nowhere near contention, and the right-hander does not have a no-trade clause. That does not, however, mean he is ready to accept playing for his sixth team in 10 MLB seasons.

Despite the Orioles having just 15 wins, Cashner told Dan Connolly of The Athletic this week that he is extremely happy in Baltimore. So happy, in fact, that he is not ruling out sitting out the rest of the season if he’s traded.

“I wish I had a no-trade clause,” Cashner said. “But it’s all part of where you’re at (in your career). And, I think, once something comes (on the trade front), I’ll have to sit down with my family and decide what’s best for me.”

Cashner does not have a no-trade clause or 10-5 veto rights, which give veterans with 10 total years of service and five with their current team the ability to nix trades. The 32-year-old is under contract for $8 million this season and has a $10 million option for 2020 that will vest if he throws 187 innings in 2019, so he would be giving up several million and the option if he decided to sit out rather than accepting a trade. While he’s not saying he will do that, he is leaving the door open.

“I haven’t thought about it too much. At the end of the day, I kind of control what I want to do. Whether I want to go, whether I want to stay,” Cashner said. “I’d just have to sit down with my family and find out what’s best for us.”

It can be flattering to be coveted by other teams, but Cashner said he hates being the subject of trade talks and contemplated not going to the Miami Marlins when the San Diego Padres traded him there in 2016. The Orioles seem unlikely to re-sign him next year anyway, so he may just be delaying the inevitable if he refuses a trade and his option doesn’t vest.

It is certainly interesting that a veteran pitcher on a historically bad team wants to stay put, but Cashner is obviously tired of moving around.