Darren O'Day Is Back With The Orioles, Agrees to 4 Yr, $31 Million Deal

Love this, absolutely LOVE it. O’s bringing back O’Day for 4 yr, $32 million and keep more than just a good bullpen arm, they keep a leader in the clubhouse, a mentor of the young arms in the pen, and one of the best teammates. I will admit, at the end of the season, I thought he wouldn’t be back for next season, and with everyday that passed, it seemed more clear he would head to either Los Angeles, Washington, or Atlanta. He wanted to stay close to D.C. because his wife works there for FoxNews, so the Nats seemed like a good fit, but reports are saying that they did not want to offer up a fourth year in the deal, fine by me, thanks for letting the O’s snatch him away. He also is LOVED by Buck Showalter, so you can bet that Showalter gave a Tiger Woods fist pump when learning of O’Day’s return.

Year after year, O’Day is the most consistently good pitcher for the O’s. His ERA over the last 4 seasons? 2.28, 2.18, 1.70, 1.52. He’s also posted overt a K per inning as bird, 283 Ks in 263 IP. He really can do it all, he excels as a set up, 8th inning guy, but we’ve seen him come in and close games when he needs to. His 2015 season was the best of his career, posting a 6-2 record, with a 1.52 ERA in 68 appearances, 6 saves, 0.934 WHIP, and finished with 82 Ks in 65 innings and making his first All-Star appearance.

4/$31 million means at $7.75 million a year, he gets a little less than the 4/$36 million that former Oriole Andrew Miller signed with the Yankees going into last season. I am totally fine with this contract too, not breaking the bank for a guy who pitches 65 innings a year, and I don’t see this being a contract that drags the O’s down in 2018/19. Since he was picked up by the O’s off waivers before the 2012 season, he has been great. He has been a huge reason that winning came back to Baltimore.

With this O’Day deal, the O’s have dished out around $32 million ($15.8-Wieters, $7.75 O’Day, $9.1 Trumbo) and MASN’s Roch Kubatko has reported that the O’s payroll is already over $100 million, and that is without adding Chris Davis, a starting pitcher, and a starting corner outfielder, so the O’s will see that payroll jump up.

The back end of the bullpen, Brach Givens, O’Day, and Britton, have the potential to form a pretty scare end of the game for opponents. The 33-year-old is getting up there, but this deal likely makes sure O’Day stays an Oriole for the rest of his career. It also lets him throw at Josephine Bats for the next 4 years, something all O’s fans will enjoy seeing.

Pretty sure my shirt yesterday made a huge impact on Darren coming back.