Free agent reliever Darren O’Day wants to be paid handsomely this offseason, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Sources: O’Day asking for four-year deal in $28M to $36M range. Most accomplished reliever on open market.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 18, 2015
O’Day, despite notching just 28 saves in his entire career, will most likely get that money too. Moreover, he deserves it, as he is arguably the most important player on the 2015 free agent market.
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Obviously stars like David Price, Zack Greinke and Yoenis Cespedes will get more money than O’Day, and signing them will generate more buzz, but O’Day is the unquestioned top of his market, where there is debate at other positions. No reliever on the open market has O’Day’s credentials, and as the Royals and Mets proved this postseason, bullpens are more important than ever.
The Yankees rode their bullpen duo of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller to a playoff berth this season, and Kansas City’s bullpen was so deep that they lost an All-Star closer in Greg Holland and didn’t skip a beat thanks to their depth. Conversely, Jeurys Familia of the Mets squandered a World Series record three save opportunities, largely because of overuse during the regular season, and in the playoffs.
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O’Day has a similar profile to Miller; before signing with the Yankees, Miller was an elite setup man with one career save. In 2015 he supplanted Betances and saved 36 games for New York, while blowing just two chances. O’Day was 6-2 for the Orioles in 2015 with six saves and a 1.52 ERA. O’Day’s ERA hasn’t dipped below 2.28 since 2011, when he was with the Rangers.
There is so much turnover at the closer position these days that experience is no longer a pre-requisite for big money. There is also increased value in being an effective setup man, so O’Day can’t lose. Teams with established closers are just as likely to go after him as not. At last season’s trade deadline the Yankees, who had the best one-two punch in baseball, were hotly pursuing All-Star closers Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman.
O’Day is also in line for big bucks because behind him, the relief market is barren. Retread closers Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria and Jason Motte are the highlights, while veteran long men such as Chris Capuano and Jeremy Affeldt are plentiful. It’s ugly out there, and unless teams want to pony up prospects, they will have to open up their checkbooks for O’Day.
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