Most of you are familiar with Thursday’s big news by now. If not, allow me to quickly sum things up: right handed closer Grant Balfour is once again a Ray! Balfour signed a two-year, $12MM contract — $3MM less than the Orioles offered. Allow me to be presumptuous for a moment. Since most of you are already familiar with the acquisition, I decided to do something other than the typical summary. Behold, a summary of today’s big event in the form of a series of tweets.
Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times)
- Rays make it official, announce 2 year, $12 million deal with Balfour.
- Sternberg: “This is a big deal for us.”
- Balfour said there was more money elsewhere but he wanted to be back with (the) Rays and Maddon.
- As if any question Maddon says Balfour will be the closer: “We’re going to use the c-word this year.”
- Balfour says, “I’m totally healthy, 100 percent healthy and you’ll see that.”
- Balfour on whether he’ll be even more fired up facing (the) Orioles: “I guess you ‘ll have to tune in.”
- Sternberg: “My expectation is that David Price will be here.”
- Rays designate LHP Pedro Figueroa for assignment to make room for Balfour.
- Heard the breakdown on Balfour deal with the Rays is $5M in 2014, $7M in 2015.
Joe Smith (Tampa Bay Times)
- Balfour on (the) Rays “It has always a place that’s been on my radar. To be honest I never wanted to leave here.” Calls it “home.”
- When it comes to payroll, Sternberg said they want to give organization best chance to win even if they’re “in for a penny, in for a pound.”
Ken Rosenthal
- Balfour deal with (the) Rays is for two years, per source. Agreement with (the) Orioles that collapsed was for two years, $15M.
@metsonmymind
- Wow, the Mets are so bad that players choose other teams for less money.
@Bill_Veeck
- That O’s-Rays rivalry just became a little more interesting, in terms of explosively intense late innings.
@WaltHils
- Balfour to the Rays makes the birds failed physical even worse now that you`ll see him about 15 times this season.
@DennisMitchell
- Balfour to the Rays. Good…it’s been a while since we had a good on field brawl!
Other Interesting Nuggets
- Per Marc Topkin, Balfour’s two-year, $12-million contract appears to be the third largest free-agent deal under the Sternberg regime, trailing the three-year, $21-million deal they just gave James Loney and the two-year, $16-million deal Pat Burrell got in 2009.
- After Balfour’s two-year, $15-million agreement with the Orioles fell apart, there was some talk about him filing a grievance against Baltimore. According to Topkin, now that the deal is set with the Rays, Balfour indicated there may still be something in the works. “I’m not going to comment on it. We’ll see what happens,” Balfour said. “I’m here to stay. I have a contract with the Rays, and anything else that’s going to happen on that part will be taken care of, and we’ll move forward. That’s not going to affect anything I’ve got going here. I’m moving on. I’m glad to be here, really happy to be here. That stuff is going to be taken care of by other people on my behalf.”
Balfour Centric Stats
- Over the past six seasons, Balfour ranks second among AL relievers in appearances (383), innings pitched (380.1) and strikeouts (410), and fourth in opponents’ batting average (.194).
- His 6.74 hits allowed per nine innings over his 10-season career is the fifth lowest among all active relievers — with a minimum of 300 appearances.
- Balfour has reached the postseason five times: 2004 with the Minnesota Twins, 2008 and 2010 with the Rays, and 2012-13 with Oakland. He said his primary goal is to win the World Series.