Orioles' Dillon Tate: Could be top candidate to close

Tate (illness) looks be the leading candidate to take over Baltimore's closer role after the Orioles traded Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser to Miami on Sunday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Tate will likely miss the next couple days of workouts while he contends with a sore throat, but he's expected to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Baltimore's bullpen is in flux after the trade, but Tate appears to be the most likely candidate for save chances. Of course, the 52-110 Orioles had just 26 saves as a team last season, so save opportunities may not be plentiful. Paul Fry and Jorge Lopez are other candidates to factor into the mix for saves, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.