Darren O'Day: "They wanted me back and I wanted to come back"

Reliever Darren O'Day came close to accepting an offer from the Nationals before the Orioles included a fourth guaranteed year. But you already knew it.

O'Day also considered his relationship with manager Buck Showalter and how relievers in this organization are handled with care. But you already knew it.

There wasn't much in the way of news at today's press conference in the auxiliary clubhouse at Camden Yards. O'Day slipped on his No. 56 jersey and confirmed what's been reported, analyzed and regurgitated. It felt more like a "welcome back," which basically was the purpose.

Here are more snippets from O'Day, Showalter and executive vice president Dan Duquette:

O'Day's opening statement:
"I wasn't quite prepared with an opening statement, but I just want to express gratitude to these guys sitting next to me for bringing me back, gratitude to everybody that I've worked with over the past four years here, especially the Angelos family and to the fans of Baltimore. Just the welcome to my wife and myself over the last four years. It was an easy choice to come back with how this team presented itself."

(We can debate "easy," since the Nationals almost got him, but you get the point.)

O'Day on whether he's surprised to be back:
"I think in my heart of hearts I hoped it would come true. I had such a wonderful four years here. The work we've done over the past four years, bringing this proud franchise back to where it should be with a lot of wins, really means a lot to me. To be able to continue that for four more years means a lot to me.

"I always hoped it would be a possibility. There was a time there we talked right at the beginning of the offseason, didn't talk much for a while, and then at the end they made it obvious they wanted me back and I wanted to come back."

O'Day on whether he ever thought he wouldn't return:
"There's always a chance of that. They've got a lot of smart guys up here running the team and they run teams how they see fit. Four years ago, in Buck's only move as a GM, he claimed me for free. That price escalated pretty quickly in four years. So if they thought there was other value in somebody else, that's within their rights to do.

"There always a chance I wouldn't be an Oriole. I said before, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to be back and happy to be back, especially to rejoin my teammates. That would probably be one thing I would miss the most is playing with those guys every day. I enjoy coming to work. Living on top of each other for six months, eight months a year with these guys, that would be hard to leave."

O'Day on importance of knowing how Showalter would use him:
"This guy knows a little something about baseball, especially managing a bullpen, managing everybody on the team really. If you're referring to the opportunity to close games, I don't need that to feel validated. I think sometimes the situations I get put into, the eighth inning, the seventh inning, can determine a game more so than the ninth inning with empty bases.

"I take a lot of pride in doing what I do and pitching in those big situations, and I know Buck is going to take care of me physically and I know our medical staff here is top-notch. I hope that I can continue to keep playing after this contract and that certainly was a big factor."

O'Day on how his career has unfolded:
"It's been an interesting path from a guy that was lightly recruited out of high school, tried to walk on to a college team throwing overhand and got cut. Walked on as an extra, throwing sidearm, and I made it. Didn't think I would get a chance to play professionally. Been designated, changed teams four times without being traded. It's been an interesting ride. It really has.

"Baseball's about being ready for opportunities and taking advantage of when they're presented, and I've been lucky enough to have some great help along the way, some great managers and coaches and especially older players. Veterans that I reached out to when I did sign this contract to say 'thanks,' because I wouldn't have made it this far without them, and I hope to do that for some of our younger guys.

"Maybe when I'm an old guy sitting on a golf cart somewhere I'll get a text from one of them, saying, 'I signed a new contract.' That's kind of the full circle of a major league career, and I hope to continue on that."

Duquette on having veterans like O'Day recruiting free agents:
"The good news about the Orioles is the Orioles have a winning culture. They have a winning culture in the locker room under Buck's leadership. And that culture is well known by the players within the ballclub. And players that want to be in a winning culture, where you're supported by the organization, you're supported by your teammates, you're mentored by the manager and the coaching staff, that's a desirable place to go to work if you're a ballplayer. So if the players make known how happy they are within the culture, they generally play better and it helps recruiting. But I don't know how much it helps. But I'm sure it helps. But the Orioles are fortunate to have built that culture under Buck's leadership."

Showalter on O'Day:
"One of the things Darren understands is his first commitment is pitching and getting people out. That's really the No. 1 job description and a lot of that feeds off of that. He's not a guy that goes around and thumps his own chest like a lot of people. He understands the weight his words carry and he doesn't use them callously like a lot of people do. There's a certain respect there that he gets from that.

"The one thing that's more important for me is that he not do anything differently. I don't want him to start having to do anything. What he is is what we want. Sometimes, guys feel like when they get that type of commitment that they have to do more and more and more, and that's not the case here. And that's one of the things Darren and I will talk about.

"I think he is respectful of players and teammates that have things going on in their lives. Everybody has to make decisions sooner or later because their work is coveted by other places. I don't want him to feel like that is part of the job description. That's something that guys do. The most important thing is getting ready to pitch next year and beyond, and like Dan said, it came down to guys you really trust and that doesn't mean that you get everybody out that you face. It just means that his teammates and the fans and the coaching staff know what they are going to get every day. Some days it is not perfect."