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Darren O'Day

AL East Notes: Vazquez, Farrell, O’Day, Sanchez, Estrada

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It was on this day in 1939 that the Yankees hosted a “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” ceremony between games of a doubleheader with the Washington Senators.  Gehrig had officially retired two weeks earlier, just after his ALS diagnosis had been made public.  Gehrig received many emotional tributes from city officials, teammates and former manager Joe McCarthy, plus he became the first player in Major League history to have a uniform number retired.  The most iconic moment, of course, was Gehrig’s own speech, in which he described himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • The Red Sox demoted Christian Vazquez to Triple-A and activated Ryan Hanigan off the 15-day DL today.  Despite good defensive numbers, Vazquez looked overmatched at the plate, hitting just .226/.278/.305 over 176 PA.  While the demotion wasn’t unexpected, the surprising element to the move is that unheralded veteran Sandy Leon has forced his way into regular starts.  Leon collected four more hits today and is now batting .500/.556/.775 over 45 plate appearances for Boston this season.  Since regression is inevitable for Leon, the Sox could look for catching help at the deadline.
  • Manager John Farrell described the Red Sox to reporters (including WEEI.com’s Ryan Hannable) as “a good team despite obvious areas of need.”  Farrell cited pitching and perhaps a right-handed hitting infielder as those areas of need.  Brock Holt and Marco Hernandez (both left-handed bats) are Boston’s primary backup infielders, and struggling third baseman Travis Shaw also swings from the left side.
  • The Orioles are hopeful that Darren O’Day can return after the All-Star break, manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com) today.  The reliever was enjoying another solid season out of the Orioles bullpen before suffering a hamstring strain that has kept hm out of action for over a month.  O’Day is making good progress, Showalter said, and a simulated game and rehab assignment could begin next week.
  • The Orioles and Blue Jays have both had talent evaluators watching the Twins recently, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
  • The Blue Jays often talk about Aaron Sanchez’s role, and manager John Gibbons told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) that he still thinks Sanchez will be shifted to the bullpen at some point this season.  Toronto has held to this plan since Spring Training in order to keep Sanchez’s innings in check, though the young righty has emerged as the ace of the Jays rotation.  After eight innings of one-run ball against the Royals tonight, Sanchez now has a 2.94 ERA, 56.7% grounder rate and 7.86 K/9 through 113 1/3 frames this season.  Sanchez’s previous career high is 133 1/3 (in both minor league and MLB innings) in 2014.
  • Marco Estrada received at least four cortisone shots in his bad back today, and the Blue Jays are hopeful he can make his scheduled start on Thursday, Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes.  This the second time Estrada has been hampered by back problems this season, as an early-season DL stint cost him his first start of the year though similar cortisone treatments helped correct those issues.  It’s also possible the Jays could start Drew Hutchison on Thursday and give Estrada an extended rest through the All-Star break.

Dodgers Notes: Urias, O’Day, Ryu, McCarthy

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that he doesn’t feel the need to ask the front office to promote left-handed wunderkind Julio Urias because the team’s executives already know Roberts wants it to happen, tweets Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Roberts stated May 7 that Urias was atop the Dodgers’ list of potential call-ups, but the club has since promoted Mike Bolsinger and Chin-hui Tsao instead, as noted by the Times’ Bill Shaikin (on Twitter). Urias, for his part, continued making his big league case Friday night by throwing five scoreless innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 19-year-old has now worked 27 straight scoreless frames and has posted a 1.10 ERA, 44 strikeouts and eight walks in 41 innings on the season.

More on the Dodgers, who entered play Saturday at a disappointing 21-22:

  • Los Angeles heavily pursued Orioles setup man Darren O’Day when he was a free agent over the winter, reports Shaikin. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went so far as to have conversations with O’Day, not just his agent, but the 33-year-old elected to re-sign with Baltimore on a four-year, $31MM pact. “As persuasive as Andrew Friedman is, and the Dodgers are a great franchise, it’s a long way from home,” said O’Day. “If I was a single guy, I’d probably be wearing white and blue.” The Dodgers have shuffled through several eighth-inning options this year, as Shaikin writes, which perhaps could have been avoided had they landed O’Day.
  • Southpaw Hyun-jin Ryu will start for Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register was among those to report (via Twitter), and could rejoin the Dodgers as early as June 9, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group. Ryu, who hasn’t appeared in a major league game since October 2014, is working his way back from May 2015 shoulder surgery. The 29-year-old was a stellar part of the Dodgers’ rotation during his first two seasons, totaling 344 innings of 3.17 ERA/2.97 FIP/3.27 xFIP ball.
  • The news isn’t as positive on right-hander Brandon McCarthy, per Plunkett. McCarthy’s throwing program has been temporarily halted after he experienced arm-related discomfort following a recent live batting practice session, said general manager Farhan Zaidi. However, the Dodgers don’t think this setback will affect McCarthy’s scheduled early July return from 2015 Tommy John surgery.

Orioles Sign Darren O’Day

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DECEMBER 14: The team has announced the signing.

DECEMBER 10, 10:37pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) has more details. O’Day will earn $5MM in 2016, $6MM in 2017, and $8MM apiece in 2018 and 2019. He’ll then take home $1MM annually for each of the next four years (though obviously won’t be obligated to play for the team in that stretch).

The no-trade clause allows him to designate seven clubs per season, though Connolly notes that he stands to reach ten-and-five rights during 2018.

8:35pm: The deal is “official,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets, though it has yet to be announced by the club. $1MM of O’Day’s salary each year will be deferred, per the report.

DECEMBER 7: A deal is in place between the O’s and O’Day, pending only a physical, per Connolly (via Twitter). It is indeed for four years and $31MM, he adds.

O’Day will pick up some limited no-trade protection, Connolly adds on Twitter.

DECEMBER 6, 7:30pm: The matters being worked out involve “language/stipulations,” ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. From the report, it certainly does not sound as if the sides expect any serious difficulty in finalizing the arrangement.

6:29pm: O’s executive VP Dan Duquette said today that there’s more work to be done to complete any deal with O’Day, as Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets.

12:16pm: O’Day himself tweets that the deal is not yet complete. “Contrary to the news, I have not reached an agreement with the O’s yet,” he says. “I am flattered by all the attention, but reports are premature.” Heyman clarifies (Twitter links) that one explanation might be that O’Day hasn’t yet taken a physical, and physicals given by the Orioles have sometimes not turned out as the players taking them have imagined. (For example, Grant Balfour and the O’s had a disagreement with the Orioles over a physical two years ago.) O’Day and the Orioles do have a deal in place, Heyman writes.

11:21am: Details of the deal have yet to be finalized, Connolly tweets. Also, obviously, O’Day will still have to take a physical for the deal to be complete. MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets that the deal might not officially be done until the end of the week, since team doctors are attending the Winter Meetings.

8:48am: Righty reliever Darren O’Day has agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Orioles, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (who originally tweeted that a return to the Orioles was likely) says O’Day will receive $31MM. O’Day is a client of the Ballengee Group.

USATSI_8807374_154513410_lowresO’Day had reportedly been deciding between the Orioles and Nationals. He had also been connected to the Braves and Dodgers, but O’Day’s wife is a reporter based in Washington DC, and it had been thought that influenced his preference to stay in the DC area. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that O’Day came close to agreeing to terms with the Nationals on Friday, but that the Orioles made a last-second bid of four years, sealing O’Day’s decision to return to Baltimore.

O’Day has been a major part of Baltimore’s bullpen in the past four seasons, never more so than in 2015, when he pitched 65 1/3 innings with a 1.52 ERA and a terrific 11.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He’s effective against both righties and lefties, making him far more than a situational pitcher, despite his funky delivery and modest velocity. He will likely return to an eighth-inning role with the Orioles.

O’Day was the top reliever on Tim Dierkes’ list of the top 50 free agents, so retaining him looks like a coup for Baltimore, at least in the near term. The $7.75MM average annual value of his new contract is reasonable, although its four-year length is interesting, given O’Day age (33) and the fact that he isn’t a closer (although perhaps it isn’t that surprising — last week, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick noted that the expectation within the industry was that O’Day would get a four-year deal in the $32MM-$34MM range). Last offseason, only two relievers, Andrew Miller and David Robertson, received four-year deals, and both of them were considerably younger than O’Day is now. And as Eduardo A. Encina of the Sun tweets, the Orioles don’t often give pitchers four-years — the only free-agent pitcher who’s ever received a four-year deal from them is Ubaldo Jimenez. That they’re giving a four-year deal to a 33-year-old setup man suggests they think O’Day can continue to be a crucial part of their bullpen.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Darren O’Day Close To Decision; Nationals Are Front-Runners

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10:54pm: The Nationals and Orioles are the two top contenders for O’Day at this point, Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes.

5:16pm: The Nationals are the “clear front-runner” for O’Day, Connolly tweets. The two sides could soon reach a deal. O’Day has not, however, ruled out Baltimore or Atlanta, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets.

4:14pm: Here’s the latest on free agent righty reliever Darren O’Day.

  • The bidding for O’Day is down to the Orioles, Nationals and Braves, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Connolly writes that O’Day’s decision could come before the start of next week’s Winter Meetings and certainly should be in the books by the time the Winter Meetings end. The Dodgers have also been connected to O’Day, although, as MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets, it appears O’Day wants to remain on the East Coast.
  • The Nationals’ acquisition of Oliver Perez will not impact their pursuit of O’Day, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes (all Twitter links). The Nats do not, however, think they are likely to be the top bidder. Instead, they hope he’ll take less to play in Washington because his wife Elizabeth Prann, a reporter, works there. The Nationals don’t want to go past a certain point in bidding for a reliever, Rosenthal writes, noting that the Nats’ outlook isn’t uncommon around the league.

Latest On Darren O’Day

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2:54pm: Industry expectation is that O’Day will secure a four-year deal that comes in a bit shy of Andrew Miller’s $36MM pact, Crasnick now tweets, suggesting something in the range of $32-34MM.

DEC. 3, 1:59pm: Baltimore has been making contact with alternative free agent relievers, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who suggests that could be an indication that the team “might not be optimistic” about its chances of re-signing O’Day. Meanwhile, the Nats, Dodgers, and Braves remain in the hunt, per the report, which notes that the veteran would like to continue pitching on the east coast.

DEC. 1: The Orioles have made a “competitive” bid for free agent reliever Darren O’Day, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. Baltimore appears to be one of the final teams under consideration for the veteran, though numerous others — the Nationals, Braves, Dodgers, and perhaps more — could still be involved, per the report.

While a signing timeline remains uncertain, O’Day has seen plenty of action over the early weeks of the offseason. He could reach an agreement before the Winter Meetings open on Monday, Connolly suggests.

The O’s have been in touch with O’Day’s representatives for some time, so the interest itself isn’t new. But Connolly writes that this is the team’s first formal offer to the late-inning ace. And its apparent competitiveness also seemingly suggests that the team is more serious about retaining O’Day than had perhaps been expected.

O’Day is the top-ranked reliever on the free agent market, per MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes. While he’s entering his age-33 campaign, O’Day’s sub-2.00 ERA over the last four seasons makes him an obvious target for many teams looking at pen upgrades.

Agent Jeff Borris Joins Ballengee Group

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Veteran agent Jeff Borris, formerly of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, is now an agent with the Ballengee Group, according to a press release from the agency. That transition has a direct impact on this year’s class of free agents, as Borris is the representative for right-hander Darren O’Day as well as first baseman Mark Reynolds.

The Ballengee Group is still a relatively new agency but has several notable big league (or recent big league) clients within its ranks, including Heath Bell, Jordan Lyles and Brett Oberholtzer, among others. Adding a free agent of O’Day’s stature to its ranks will be a boon, as it would for any agency. And Borris himself brings a wealth of experience, given his lengthy career as a high-profile agent, with Barry Bonds serving as his most notable client.

Unlike other agency switches, the shift doesn’t figure to slow down O’Day’s timeline to sign by all that much, as his primary agent will be changing agencies with him. In some instances, changing agents can either raise or lower contractual expectations, but that doesn’t figure to be an issue here, and Borris of course has been involved in all prior negotiations with interested teams, so the same groundwork for a contract has still been laid.

O’Day is said to be seeking a four-year contract in the $28-36MM range, and many believe it’s possible for him to achieve that goal due to the demand for his services. O’Day is the top relief name on this year’s market, so despite his slightly advanced age (33), a lengthy list of teams has lined up to try to acquire the former Orioles setup ace, who sports a sub-2.00 ERA over his past four seasons.

The Orioles themselves are said to have recently made a competitive offer for O’Day, making them a serious player for his services along with the Nationals, Dodgers and Braves. Other clubs such as the Giants, Mets and Tigers have been tied to O’Day throughout the offseason.

As is the case with all changes of this nature, the switch has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database. If you see an errors or omissions within the database, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Relief Market Notes: Hunter, Nationals, Mets, Zagurski

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Right-hander Tommy Hunter is drawing interest on the free agent market, with the Padres, Tigers and Indians among the clubs teams intrigued by the former Orioles setup man, reports Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Hunter, 30 next July, split the season between the O’s and Cubs, though he enjoyed considerably more success in Baltimore than in Chicago. Hunter was surprisingly traded in exchange for Junior Lake in July after 44 2/3 innings of 3.63 ERA ball (3.38 FIP) but saw that mark soar to 5.74 (5.11 FIP) in 15 2/3 innings with the Cubs. Those late struggles notwithstanding, Hunter has a 3.26 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against just 1.7 BB/9 across 207 1/3 innings dating back to 2013, so he figures to draw further interest as the offseason wears on.

Here are a few more notes from the relief market…

  • MLB.com’s Bill Ladson joins others in characterizing the Nationals’ interest in Darren O’Day as serious, though he also notes that some clubs could offer O’Day the opportunity to close games, which Washington cannot currently promise. The market for O’Day is deep, Ladson adds, but he could be a much-needed reliable setup man for the Nats, who are “looking to trade” Drew Storen.
  • We’ve heard varying reports on the Nationals’ interest in shipping out Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, but Jayson Stark tweets that executives from three clubs have told him that the Nats are pushing to trade both righties. The club’s plan would be to rebuild the back of its relief corps with new acquisitions. Of course, as I explained in the Nationals’ offseason outlook, Washington is in need of pen additions regardless of what it does in the late innings.
  • The Mets’ bullpen focus, meanwhile, is on adding a lefty, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. New York seems prepared to give Josh Smoker a chance at cracking the pen after adding him to the 40-man roster. And the team has indicated interest in bringing back Jerry Blevins. But a surer thing would be preferable, says DiComo, who says the team is prioritizing the acquisition of a quality LOOGY this winter.
  • Former big league lefty Mike Zagurski is hoping to return to the U.S. after pitching in Japan last season, MLBTR has learned. Zagurski has struggled in a handful of Major League chances but has a 2.68 ERA with 12.0 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in parts of six Triple-A seasons. The 32-year-old posted a 2.40 ERA in Japan last year, albeit in a small sample of 15 innings.

East Notes: Davis, O’Day, Papelbon, Anthopoulos, Phillies

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Orioles GM Dan Duquette has said on many occasions that he’s trying to re-sign Chris Davis, and ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets that owner Peter Angelos has also become directly involved in talks to re-sign the slugger. Contracts of the magnitude such as the one Davis is expected to sign are typically ownership-level decisions, and as Olney notes, the O’s wouldn’t stand a serious chance in negotiations were Angelos not involved in talks. Baltimore still figures to face plenty of competition in their endeavors, with one Friday report linking the Cardinals to Davis.

A few more notes from the game’s Eastern divisions…

  • Interest between the Nationals and right-hander Darren O’Day is mutual, reports CSNWashington.com’s Mark Zuckerman. A source points out to Zuckerman that the Nats are in a favorable spot due to the fact that his wife is a TV reporter for FOX News in Washington, as CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman pointed out over the weekend. That would seem to make either D.C. or Baltimore an attractive place to land for O’Day, but Zuckerman writes that there’s no evidence that the Orioles have made a serious effort to re-sign the right-hander. Zuckerman adds that O’Day would be an out-of-character signing for GM Mike Rizzo, who has shown a willingness to pay top dollar for relief arms (Rafael Soriano, Jonathan Papelbon) but only over shorter terms than the three or four years which O’Day will command. Adding O’Day into the fold would seem to increase the likelihood that Papelbon or Drew Storen will be traded this winter, he continues, though a trade of either wouldn’t be a certainty.
  • Papelbon recently altered the teams on his no-trade list, reports James Wagner of the Washington Post. Though he doesn’t have specifics on the updated list, Wagner points out that the no-trade clause makes it more difficult to move Papelbon than Storen, who also has just one year of team control remaining at a cheaper rate than that of Papelbon. GM Mike Rizzo has said he doesn’t feel the need to trade either reliever unless he gets a sound return, but as Wagner notes, that could just be an attempt at preserving some trade value.
  • Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun cites two sources in reporting that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes have reached out to former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos about working in a senior position or a consulting position within the team’s front office. The Coyotes reached out to Anthopoulos immediately upon his decision to leave the Blue Jays, writes Simmons, and they’re one of many teams/media outlets to inquire with Anthopoulos about his future. Per Simmons, Anthopoulos isn’t expected to make any kind of decision on his future until late December or early January. Simmons adds that the call from the Coyotes caught Anthopoulos “by complete surprise,” as he’s never worked in hockey at any level, though he does know Coyotes assistant GM John Chayka personally.
  • MLB.com’s Matthew Leach and Todd Zolecki tackle a number of Phillies-related hot stove topics in a podcast. Zolecki feels it’s highly unlikely that the Phillies will sign a notable free agent, though he states that he “absolutely” believes the team will add a stable rotation arm that can make 30 or so starts on a short-term deal with the idea that said addition could save the young arms in the bullpen or rotation. Jeremy Hellickson is already viewed somewhat in that role, Zolecki notes, though the team believes he has a bit more upside given that he’s younger than recent arms (e.g. Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams) they’ve brought in to serve in that role.

Nationals Among Leading Suitors For Darren O’Day

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The Nationals are now a leading suitor for reliever Darren O’Day, a source tells Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Nats have been connected to O’Day for some time, but it appears that they have ramped up their pursuit.

On Saturday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com noted that the Nations could have a potential edge in luring O’Day since his wife is a TV reporter working for a station in Washington D.C. At the same time, the Dodgers and Braves are also eyeing O’Day and they have their own advantages. The 33-year-old’s family lives in the Atlanta area, so the Braves could have some form of a hometown advantage.  Meanwhile, the Dodgers can probably offer the most money of the three.

O’Day is said to be seeking a four-year pact in the range of $28-36MM total and reportedly left the GM Meetings with multiple offers in hand. Presumably, none of the offers extended to him in Boca Raton were in that range, but the Dodgers have been connected to O’Day from the onset of the offseason and they reportedly have “significant” interest.  In addition to the Nats, Dodgers, and Braves, O’Day has been linked to the been linked to the Tigers, Mets, Cubs, Nationals, Red Sox, and Royals, though Boston and Detroit may now be less interested in high-priced bullpen pieces.

Relief Notes: O’Day, A’s, Chapman, D’Backs, Brothers

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In such a crowded market for Darren O’Day’s services, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman observes that the Dodgers, Braves and Nationals could each have an edge.  The Dodgers, of course, can offer the most money and have “big time” interest in the right-hander.  O’Day’s family lives near Atlanta, so the Braves could have something of a hometown advantage.  Then again, O’Day’s wife is a TV reporter working for a station in Washington D.C., which could help the Nats.  Here’s more about O’Day and others on the ever-churning bullpen rumor mill…

  • You can add the Athletics to the long list of teams with interest in O’Day, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  While Oakland has a clear need for bullpen help, it would be a big surprise to see a small-payroll team like the A’s win the bidding for O’Day.  The right-hander has already received multiple offers and is looking for a four-year deal in the $28MM-$36MM range.
  • Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Brad Ziegler may remain as the team’s closer.  “With Ziegler doing the job that he has, I am looking to better ourselves more than likely in the front end versus the back end (of the bullpen),” Stewart said.  The Snakes have been linked to several big-name relievers in offseason buzz, and their particular interest in Reds closer Aroldis Chapman goes back several months, though the Reds’ demand for two pre-arbitration Major Leaguers was too high for Arizona’s liking.  “I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m just not in the mood to give up three or four players for one guy at the back end of my bullpen,” Stewart said, speaking not specifically of Chapman but of ace relievers in general.
  • “Surprised would be an understatement” to describe how Rex Brothers felt when the Rockies designated him for assignment, the southpaw tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.  Brothers has come to terms with the move, however, and is looking forward to a fresh start in the bigs.  It should be noted that Brothers has the choice of electing free agency since he has more than three years of service time, and while he doesn’t directly say so, it certainly sounds as if the lefty will indeed be hitting the open market.  Brothers posted very solid numbers out of Colorado’s bullpen from 2011-13 before struggling in 2014 and spending most of 2015 in the minors.
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