Orioles rumors: Brad Brach ready to earn big payday
The Baltimore Orioles will begin 2018 with reliever Brad Brach as their closer. If successful, Brach has a chance to earn himself a big payday next winter, if these Orioles rumors are in fact true.
Zach Britton is on the shelf for a few months, leaving the Baltimore Orioles in a bind. What will they do when the ninth inning comes along, and can they hold the lead? Recent Orioles rumors may shed light on this dire need.
The solution: turn to long-time setup man Brad Brach.
The 31-year-old righty has spent the last four seasons with the Orioles. During that time, he has been a magnificent piece in their bullpen.
Brach hasn’t gotten the attention he deserves. In four years with the Orioles, he holds a 26-13 record to go with a strong 2.74 ERA. Pitching half his games at Camden Yards and a good percentage at the other AL East ballparks doesn’t do him any favors. Against those odds, Brach has managed to put together a stable tenure in Baltimore.
When the season opens, he’ll have the closer role. Until Britton returns mid-season, it’s Brach’s job to lose.
Brach isn’t a stranger to closing. When Britton missed significant time last year, he got his first taste of the ninth inning on a regular basis. Brach did muster 18 saves in that time and finished the year with a 3.18 ERA. As he always does, Brach struck out batters at a rate of more than one per inning. He also held opposing hitters to fewer than seven hits per nine.
The timing for Brach to open the year closing is perfect. Now in his final season of arbitration eligibility, Brach can raise his stock and earn closer money in the offseason. Even if there isn’t an official closer job out there for him, he can certainly add a few million to his contract.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Closers are earning more money than ever before. The same is true for relief pitchers who handle the innings before the ninth. Wade Davis set a new record this offseason with the contract he signed to play for the Colorado Rockies. Brach can do something similar for non-closers next winter. However, I would imagine he hopes to market himself as a closer and not a setup man.
Like Brach, Britton is also a free agent following the 2018 season. Other closers hitting the open market include Cody Allen, Santiago Casilla, and Craig Kimbrel. Brach doesn’t need to worry about the competition. The more free agent closers there are, the more spots open up for him to shift his role in MLB.
If these Orioles rumors are true, Brach should earn an excellent annual salary on his next contract. The opportunity to make a little more is there and something that requires a nice first half.
Next: 2017 was a really bad year for older position players
Since Britton is also a free agent, Brach can always earn favor with the Baltimore Orioles. Although they will lose a few players to free agency, the franchise doesn’t look quite ready to rebuild completely. Brach could earn his way into the closer’s role for 2019 with a nice paycheck to go with the permanent promotion.