Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that the Baltimore Orioles deal with Grant Balfour is in jeopardy. Balfour’s physical revealed issues that need to be resolved. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun says that the Orioles would look at other closer options on the open market if Balfour’s health issues are a deal-breaker. Balfour previously missed significant time with Tommy John and shoulder surgeries.
Balfour, who will turn 36 by the end of the month, agreed to a two-year deal worth $15 million with the Orioles on Tuesday. The Australian native has served as the closer for the Oakland Athletics the past two seasons, saving a total of 62 games.
He no longer possesses the fastball that averaged 95 miles per hour when he pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, but his 93.4 average this year was an improvement on the previous two years.
While Balfour is solid, he’s a good candidate for regression, even if healthy. His BABIP the previous three years is .230, the fourth lowest mark in the game. As a flyball pitcher who gets plenty of strikeouts, he should maintain a lower BABIP, but even if it doesn’t bounce back to the league average, expect that number to climb closer to his career average of .264.
Additionally, he won’t have the benefit of the Oakland Coliseum’s spacious confines, where Balfour has posted an ERA of 1.58 the previous three seasons.
Even a healthy closer is risky, and a 36 year-old with troubling results on a physical is even more worrisome.
