Reaching a deal less than a week before opening day, Gibson figures to join a rotation projected to include right-handers Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano.

Gibson was so respected in Baltimore that teammates still talked about him last year and this spring. Charlie Morton, a 41-year-old starter the Orioles signed this offseason, said the younger pitchers on the staff all raved about Gibson.

A running joke developed between veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson and his agent as the winter months passed without a new contract. Free agency was dragging like an infield mat. It’s better to laugh about the situation than to stress.