Baltimore Orioles to sign Darren O’Day

With what has been a hectic week for every team in Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles have made their move to keep one of the game’s premier relievers in Darren O’Day, signing the free agent to a four year deal worth $31 million, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

The 33-year old righty has been dominant for the O’s since he arrived in Baltimore in 2012. His 2015 campaign was perhaps the best of his career, as the All-Star went 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA, striking out 82 in just 65.1 innings. O’Day also only walked 14 batters in 2015, helping his outstanding 0.934 WHIP.

O’Day was initially targeted by several other teams, but was recently deciding between the Orioles and the Washington Nationals. O’Day’s decision to stay in Baltimore is great news for the Orioles, who have locked down their best relief piece, and will look to expand on a struggling starting rotation as the offseason goes on.

The signing will overall prove to be very beneficial for the Orioles barring injury. While the deal is quite lucrative for a non-closer reliever, O’Day’s consistent performance in an Orioles uniform served as great hope for sustained success for his future in Baltimore.

The signing also proves the be at least somewhat discouraging to the Washington Nationals, who are looking to revamp a bullpen that was one of the best in baseball as recent as 2014. O’Day’s signing may also encourage the Nationals to hang on to Drew Storen, who was subject of many trade rumors after struggling immensely down the stretch in 2015.

O’Day’s extended stay in Baltimore throughout the next four years gives the Orioles a reliable, benchmark bullpen piece to build off of. While the Orioles’ pitching staff still clearly needs changes, especially to the rotation, solidifying an All-Star in the bullpen is a good start to an offseason that the Orioles hope brings them back to the postseason in 2016.