O'Day was 'really close' to signing with Nationals

Darren O'Day is returning to a home he knows all too well, having finalized a four-year, $31-million deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday - but he could have easily been a member of the Washington Nationals instead.

"We had some momentum with the Nationals and then the Orioles came in with an even better offer," O’Day told Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun, adding that he was "really close" to signing in Washington. "You’ve got to take into account what we’ve done in the past four years here and the good times we’ve had and the quality of guys we have in this locker room. I enjoy coming to the park every day."

O'Day has spent the last four seasons with the Orioles, helping fortify their bullpen with his side-winding pitching style, and when news broke that he was in negotiations with the club, his teammates were thrilled.

"It was pretty cool. A lot of them were texting me for updates throughout the process," he said. "For a while Baltimore wasn’t in on it and they all figured I wasn’t coming back. And then they started hearing some rumors I might be back and the guys started getting excited, and I did, too."

The 33-year-old veteran was one of the most sought-after relievers on the open market this offseason, and although $31 million and limited no-trade protection were good reasons for him to return, his main purpose for staying with Baltimore is leaving an everlasting mark on the franchise.

"That’s another reason Baltimore was the right place for me," O’Day explained. "If I play the whole contract here, eight years in Baltimore, I could find myself on some of the organization's leaderboards. … It's a pretty historic and hallowed organization and to be able to hang around long enough to be on some of its leaderboards, that means a lot to a player."

O'Day owns a 23-8 record with a 1.92 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 283 strikeouts across 273 appearances in his career with the Orioles.