Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette on Darren O'Day signing

Orioles relief pitcher Darren O'Day talks about resigning with the team and trying to maintain the consistency from last year.

By Eduardo A. Encina The Baltimore Sun

3:20 p.m. EST, February 18, 2013

SARASOTA, Fla.?

The Orioles announced Monday they've signed reliever Darren O'Day to a two-year, $5.4 million contract with a club option for 2015.

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette spoke to the media about the club signing O'Day. Here's what he had to day:

On why signing O?Day to two-year deal made sense:

Obviously, the kid did a great job for us as a pitcher, but he?s the kind of pitcher who can get you out of a jam and he can also pitch responsibly and protect the lead. And he pitched when we needed him to pitch in the playoffs. He was terrific. That kind of player, who is very dependable, has a lot of value to the Orioles. That?s why we decided to enter a multi-year agreement with him. Beyond that, if you take a look at the body of his work, he?s in the top 10 relief pitchers over the last four years in ERA and WHIP, which is another sign of his dependablility. So we?re happy to enter into a long-term agreement with him. The leadership he shows with the team I think adds a lot to the bullpen and the stability of our bullpen.

On having essentially the same bullpen returning this season:

The bullpen was really the strength of the ballclub, right. The bullpen returns in tact. The challenge for these guys is to perform year over year, right. If you look at relief pitchers, there?s a volatility that occurs among relief pitchers. But the good ones perform year in and year out, and these relief pitchers showed last year that they?re highly skilled. They have good stuff and they have good control.

On pursuing a two-year deal with O?Day:

During the course of the negotiations, and Tripp Norton handled the negotiations for the Orioles, it became apparent that there were good reasons for both parties to talk about a multi-year deal. I think they brought it up initially and we took it under consideration and we thought it was a good idea for us and that?s why we got a long team deal.

Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-executive-vice-president-dan-duquette-on-darren-oday-signing-20130218,0,7053694.story?track=rss

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