The Kansas City Royals have officially registered interest in free agent setup man Darren O'Day with the likely intentions of slotting him in as the replacement for Greg Holland who was non-tendered in the wake of his Tommy John surgery.
ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Royals and Red Sox are among the group of teams who have already contacted O'Day's representation. Regarded by most to be the best reliever on the free-agent market, O'Day's market price is skyrocketing as multiple teams jump headfirst into what is currently a major seller's market for relief pitchers.
O'Day has been one of the best setup men in baseball over the past four years, posting a 1.92 ERA in that span with the Orioles. He possesses a nuanced delivery which would make him a safe investment on a multi-year deal, seeing that diminished velocity likely won't impact the effectiveness of his stuff like it would if he had a conventional approach.
The Royals' #1 priority is the retention of OF Alex Gordon, but they're also said to be active in both trade talks and on the free-agent market in regards to impact relievers. O'Day is the best impact reliever not under contract, so it makes perfect sense that O'Day has popped up on their wishlist.
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