A few quick turkey day thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving, Birdland!

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy day today with family and friends. Hope it is your best turkey day yet. I've said it here dozens of times, but what is one more? I'm very thankful for the great O's community we have here, and the wonderful debates and discussions daily about the Orioles. I appreciate every reader every day. Thanks for being here!

Just a short entry today. Feel free to discuss any O's topics, including the one or two mentioned here and any others we've been talking about recently.

L.J. Hoes is an Oriole again: It is great to have this young man back as part of the Orioles organization. I've interviewed him many times over the years, and he is a class act and obviously well-liked by plenty of members of the O's front office, both as a player and a person.

He's done well in recent years at Triple-A, but hasn't been able to produce those same number in limited chances in the big leagues. Hoes has a career minor league slash line of .288/.369/.383. Being out of options, he'll have to show something in spring training quickly to have a chance to stay on the roster. He has some speed and defensive versatility and that could help his cause.

Here were some of the comments he made back in 2013 when the Orioles traded him to Houston.

O's interested in Gallardo: The Orioles have shown some interest in free agent right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who will be 30 on opening day.

If Gallardo is going to get a contract, as some suggest, in the four-year, $50 million range, that is probably a ballpark the Orioles could play in. But he would also cost them the 15th pick in next June's draft as a player who turned down a qualifying offer.

Gallardo is durable and has a career 3.66 ERA and WHIP of 1.317 and has averaged 194 innings pitched the last five years. He would be an upgrade for the O's rotation but would not be a top-end starter that they have lacked. But he's a solid starter who would help shore up the rotation.

Is the price right for Gallardo?