The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a deal with free-agent closer Grant Balfour for two years and $15 million according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The deal is pending a physical and calls for $500,000 to be deferred each year.
Balfour, 35, was 38-of-41 in save chances in 2013 with a 2.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings and 24-of-26 the year before that. His combined 62-of-67 those two years produces a save percentage of 92.5 percent and has only five blown saves over that time.
The team traded Jim Johnson to the Athletics earlier this offseason in a cost saving move as Johnson was projected to make in excess of $11 million in 2014.
As it turns out the Orioles and A’s essentially swap closers with Baltimore saving millions in salary
With Balfour off the market Fernando Rodney and Joaquin Benoit head the list of free agent closers still available.
