Baltimore Orioles Could Feature Several Trade Options in the Bullpen
By Nate Wardle
Darren O’Day
O’Day, O’Day, O’Day, O’Day is a little more interesting to consider, since he has another year on his contract after this season, and has not been overly durable over the last few years.
Since coming to Baltimore, Darren has never had an ERA over 3.77 (2016). This season, his ERA is at 2.70 in 19 appearances.
Throughout his Orioles tenure, O’Day has a 2.36 ERA in 390 games covering 374.1 innings. He is a little more susceptible to the long ball than Brach and Britton, but he also is better at getting strikeouts than Brach is.
His career 3.76 strikeout per walk ratio is good, and O’Day is a pitcher who does not walk many hitters. In fact, he has only walked more than 20 hitters once, and that was in 2017 when he was not his self.
The other thing that O’Day provides is veteran leadership. This is both a reason to trade the right-handed and a reason to keep him. Brach and Britton also provide veteran leadership, but they are on expiring contracts.
O’Day would fit in well on a young bullpen, such as Philadelphia or Atlanta. He might not be as reasonable a piece on say, the Red Sox or Indians.
As for whether the Orioles should keep him, that really is a question of perspective. Do you want O’Day to be the veteran of the Orioles’ bullpen? Or, since they aren’t contending in 2018 and likely won’t be ready yet in 2019, is it worth getting a piece or two for him.
Sure, that would leave the Orioles bullpen young itself, but Mychal Givens has been around for a few years now.
Chance he is traded: 35 percent