The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles are the finalists to sign top free agent reliever Darren O’Day, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Washington is the “clear front-runner” to sign O’Day and a deal could happen sometime soon, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
O’Day, 33, would give the Nationals the set-up man the team has coveted since trading away Tyler Clippard. Adding O’Day on what is could be a four-year deal worth roughly $8 million would be a big move for the Nationals and could spell the end of time for either Jonathan Papelbon or Drew Storen in Washington.
Losing O’Day would be a big blow for the Orioles and it’s unknown how they would go about filling his spot for the upcoming season.
In 68 appearances with the Orioles in 2015, O’Day went 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA and a 82/14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
In his eight-year career, O’Day has been incredibly productive, going 31-13 with a 2.31 ERA and a 431/111 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Follow Robert Murray on Twitter: @RobertMurrayBBE
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