Darren O'Day nears deal with Orioles; A's sign Ryan Madson

Even before baseball's winter meetings could commence, the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics moved aggressively on two of the top relief arms available, as the Orioles worked to reach agreement with Darren O'Day to a $31 million deal and the A's surprisingly guaranteed Ryan Madson $22 million over three years.

Fox Sports and ESPN first reported the terms of those deals, which continue the trend of relievers receiving top dollar even if they're not necessarily guaranteed a closer role. The Baltimore Sun noted O'Day's pact is still pending a physical, and O'Day himself tweeted that reports of an agreement with the Orioles were "premature."

O'Day spent most of the past two seasons setting up for Orioles closer Zach Britton, but the submarine-style right-hander has been dominant, as his walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) have been stellar - from 1.00 in 2013, to 0.88 and 0.93 the past two seasons. From 2014-2015, he had 53 saves or holds while getting tagged with just nine blown saves despite frequently entering games with runners in scoring position.

His $31 million guarantee is just shy of the four-year, $36 million pact Andrew Miller signed with the Yankees after 2014. Miller, too, was not assured a closer role, but seized that job from Dellin Betances early in 2015.

Madson, 35, was one of the game's great comeback stories in 2015, eventually pitching his way into a high-leverage role with the World Series champion Kansas City Royals after sitting out three seasons due to complications after multiple Tommy John surgeries. He pitched three scoreless innings in the World Series, two coming in late-inning Royals victories.In 68 regular season appearances, he posted a 2.13 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

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