O's Appear Close to Deal With Reliever Mike Gonzalez

Note: Mike Gonzalez was signed yesterday evening by the Orioles. According to the Baltimore Sun, the reliever will earn $12 million over two years with escalator and incentive clauses allowing him to make an additional $4 million.

***

For those wishing the Orioles would do more on the free agent market to keep up in the AL East, it looks like they are closing in on a deal to acquire reliever Mike Gonzalez. Although Gonzalez has one of the craziest deliveries I have ever seen on the mound, the man's results for the past few seasons speak for itself.

As much complaining as we've done as fans for the past few years, it looks like Baltimore is being proactive for 2010 and trying to fix the problem areas.

If the Orioles do nail Gonzalez, it's a risk worth taking to solidify a part of their staff which was decent when Sherrill was around, and then drove off a cliff. One can assume that Jim Johnson will return to being the setup man and Gonzalez will close.

According to Roch's blog, Gonzalez's deal will be a two-year one.

>>> Read More