The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly re-signed relief pitcher Darren O’Day, pending a physical, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The deal is reportedly worth $31 million over four years, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
However, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reported the deal is not done yet and noted the Orioles nearly lost him to the Washington Nationals:
O’Day also played down reports of a done deal between him and the Orioles:
O’Day, 33, was excellent for the Orioles last season, finishing 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, 82 strikeouts, six saves and 18 holds in 65.1 innings pitched. Coming into the offseason, he was considered the top option among relief pitchers in free agency and was believed to be a target for teams looking for a closer.
Prior to the reports of O’Day’s re-signing, Orioles closer Zach Britton commented on O’Day’s impact on the Hot Stove Show, courtesy of Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com:
He’s been great. Darren’s helped me out a lot. He isn’t just a great teammate, he’s a great guy, and I feel like wherever he ends up, we’re going to be friends for a long time. …
I hope he comes back to us. I know he loves playing for Buck (Showalter), he loves Baltimore, he loves the teammates that we have there, and I think that’s a huge thing for him now and I think he’s weighing those options.
O’Day has proved to be an elite setup man for Baltimore in his four seasons with the club, though, going 23-8 with with a 1.92 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 283 strikeouts in 263 innings pitched. He made the All-Star team in 2015 and will solidify the team’s bullpen once again as the Orioles look to return to the postseason.
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