Grant Balfour appeared set to join the Baltimore Orioles this offseason, but a problem with the physical has caused the deal to fall through.
On Dec. 17, the two sides agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal, via USA Today. However, Roch Kubatko of MASN first reported that there could be a problem with the physical:
After it was revealed that a shoulder injury would hold up the deal, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun noted that the club had to decide whether it would still be willing to sign the pitcher:
Encina then quoted executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, who explained that the deal is off:
Despite reports of a shoulder issue, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal notes that the issue doesn’t appear to be Balfour’s health:
The Orioles backed out of a two-year, $15 million deal with free-agent reliever Grant Balfour on Friday, saying their doctors were not satisfied with the results of his physical.
Rays team physician Koco Eaton, who has a lengthy history with Balfour, doesn’t know why.
Eaton examined Balfour in Tampa on Friday and also performed a contrast MRI on the pitcher’s right shoulder — the area that troubled the Orioles, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Asked if he was surprised that the Orioles declined to complete their deal with Balfour, Eaton said “Yes,” adding that approving the contract was “kind of a no-brainer.”
The 35-year-old reliever had bounced around the league since 2001, but he truly excelled once he landed with the Oakland Athletics. In three years, he put together a 9-7 record with an impressive 2.53 ERA.
Additionally, he became the club’s closer midway through the 2012 season and kept that role in 2013 when he was selected to his first All-Star game. The Australian finished with 38 saves while helping the Athletics win the AL West division.
However, the latest injury issues leave his career in doubt.
As for the Orioles, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports that they would be interested in signing former Tampa Bay Rays closer Fernando Rodney:
Kubatko outlines the remaining options for Baltimore:
All of these players could fill the closer role left by Jim Johnson, who was traded to Oakland earlier in the offseason.
No matter what direction the team decides to go in, it is clear that this will be a second choice after a failed attempt at signing Balfour.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com