Free-agent left-hander Eric O’Flaherty has narrowed his list of possible teams down to four and is “should sign a deal by the weekend,” reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The MVP Sports client recently threw for more than 15 Major League clubs.
O’Flaherty, who turned 31 on Friday, struggled through the worst season of his career in 2015, yielding 27 earned runs in 30 innings in his first full season back from 2013 Tommy John surgery. Those ugly results notwithstanding, O’Flaherty has an excellent track record as a setup man, having served as one of the Braves’ most reliable bullpen arms from 2009-13 before his injury. In that stretch, the left-hander turned in a 1.99 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 58.3 percent ground-ball rate across 249 1/3 innings. O’Flaherty was more than a lefty specialist during his Atlanta peak, as well, holding right-handers to a .247/.334/.335 batting line while stifling lefties (.188/.243/.255).
While O’Flaherty’s 2015 ERA is clearly discouraging, it should also be noted that the velocity on his sinker increased over the course of the season, and his 58.3 percent ground-ball rate was an exact match with his ground-ball rate from his best years with the Braves. Clearly, O’Flaherty will have to re-establish his once-solid control if he is to recreate the success that he once enjoyed, though. The 18 walks he issued in 2015 were just three shy of the single-season high he logged in that aforementioned stretch of five years.
In addition to O’Flaherty, teams seeking left-handed relief help have a number of options at this late stage in the offseason, including Neal Cotts, Franklin Morales and Matt Thornton.
Which 4 team
I think rangers are one of them
Agreed.
Mariners to add to the pile. You heard it here first folks
I believe that. He fits the bounce back candidate status Dipoto so much desires. But this increases difficulty for Montgomery to fit in the pen.
Local reports say the Os are one of the teams. It always takes at least a year to really recover so I think 2015 is not a true barometer of his ability. He makes sense for a lot of teams but my bet is on the Orioles or Mariners.
Perhaps a homecoming is in order for Eric O’Flaherty who was born and raised in Washington state and began his professional career with the Seattle Mariners organization.
Wonder if the Pirate’s are in the mix. Their type of pitcher.
It would definitely be nice for the Braves to sign E.O’F again. Their organization, and specifically Roger McDowell and Eddie Perez worked wonders for him, his first go around.
Before his time in Atlanta, O’Flaherty was basically nothing more than a lefty cast-off from the Mariners organization. Once McDowell and Perez got their collective hands on him, he truly flourished and learned how to harness his pitches with excellent command.
Every pitcher who has gone through an arm surgery like his, will tell you it takes time and alot of practice to regain the true feel of your pitches and especially to regain your command!!
Velocity was not the issue for E.O’F last season, he just simply was unable to really get his command back on track. I have no doubt that O’Flaherty will bounce back this year, and personally I would love to see him do it in a Braves uniform…
Although, with that being said, I am sure there are teams calling for his services that are in a much better position to compete for a title, and you definitely could not blame Eric for choosing a more competitive ball club over the Braves.
Red Sox?