The A's have signed Grant Balfour to a two-year deal, the team announced. The right-hander will earn at least $8.1MM, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The deal includes a club option for 2013, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. The A's have also agreed not to offer the reliever arbitration, meaning that a club will not have to surrender a compensation pick to sign Balfour. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the sides were close and MLB.com's Jane Lee added details on Twitter. ACES represents Balfour.
Balfour posted a 2.28 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings for the Rays last year. The 33-year-old has always been a fly ball pitcher and last year was no exception; he posted a 30.6% ground ball rate and a 49.7% fly ball rate.
Since Oakland's first round pick is protected, the Rays will obtain a second round pick from the A's for losing the Type A free agent. Tampa will also add a supplementary first round pick to its growing collection of draft picks. The Rays have 11 of the first 89 picks in next year's draft, including nine before the start of the second round.
If Balfour and Carl Pavano finalize deals with the A's and Twins, as expected, all Type A free agents tied to draft pick compensation will have signed.
MLBTR's Luke Adams predicted that Balfour would sign a two-year deal in the $10MM range and mentioned the A's as a possible fit when examining potential suitors.
Hell of a lot less than 3 year/$35 million. Now I know Soriano > Balfour (not by a whole lot though) but heck $4 mil a year for a reliever and $12 mil a year for a reliever is a huge difference.
ah the value of marginal analysis, something 90% of the commenters on this site have never learned
Thou shall not let oneself be marginalized…………
Parque?
(Probably that’s only a reference for old guys.)
Wow, Rays have so many picks now.
Benoit for 3/16, Gregg for 2/10, Downs for 3/15, Crain for 3/13.
With all of those in mind, Balfour for 2/8 looks like a steal.
Losing a draft pick sort of bothers me, but the A’s have drafted well enough over the past decade that I’m not really worried about it.
They have?
They have?
What a fair deal, this guy will get enough money for the rest of his life and isn’t being put into an unfair and risky deal for the As
Another one from the gutted TB bullpen. Nice to have all the draft picks so they can rebuild and then be gutted again. Nice pitcher and at a bargain rate considering previous signings.
I agree!
Bailey/Balfour > Rivera/Soriano?
(jk, it was a joke from another post)
Only two “compensation” FA’s left before the draft order is completely set:
Type A; Pavano: That deal sounds about done with the Twins
Type B; Felipe Lopez–SOMEONE will sign him.
Didn’t Lopez go to the Diamondbacks?
He will sign a minor league deal thus no compensation
Nice pickup by the A’s to shore up their middle relief. With an outstanding young staff and a solid pen, if the A’s can score runs with any consistency they will be a factor in the AL West this year.
2011 MLB Draft = 2016 Tampa Bay Rays
By 2016 the Rays won’t even be in Tampa!
very fair deal for both sides
There are only about 20-25 A prospects in all of baseball this year. Only a few of those will become stars.
not every prospect needs to turn out to be stars. they need to be quality major league baseball players. if you get 1 star and and a bunch of solid players your a good position for prolong sucess like the current rays
Winning the world series is success! The Rays missed their window.
not really.
the window may shut for a year with a stiff draft, but it will be right back fully open starting in 2012.
Winning the world series is success! The Rays missed their window.
There are only about 20-25 A prospects in all of baseball this year. Only a few of those will become stars.
Nice move by the A’s. They had plenty left to spend after missing out on Beltre, so they may as well use some of it on (arguably) the best reliever still on the market who doesn’t require a $35M commitment.
I wonder who they’ll DFA to make room for him? Figueroa or Mortensen, I’m guessing.
Surprise surprise, a Type A free agent stipulates on ensuing contract that he not be offered arbitration… Would be surprised if ANY former Type A “beneficiary” doesn’t have this in their following contract.
The rules need to change, I agree.
Meanwhile Balfour in Oakland will thrive – that ball park will suit his style perfectly. Just hope is healthy.
It’s too bad too because he finally got command of his slider – if he is healthy hew’s gonna punch a few batters out. We’re gonna miss him in St.Pete – especially his wife – what a knockout.
Guess what? The A’s are going to win the AL West.
Is the AL West even a division anymore? I thought that they decided to just move the AL West to the AAA league
The 2010 WS was between an AL West and a NL West team. Your opinion = utterly useless.
A’s always seem to try for the smart signings with the aim at having chips at the trade deadline.