O'Day deal is official

The Orioles' deal with reliever Darren O'Day finally is official.

O'Day has passed his physical and signed a four-year, $31 million contract that includes $4 million in deferred payments and a limited no-trade clause.

The sides reached agreement on the deal last Monday, but a few more details needed to be worked out and a physical needed to be set up.

The Orioles were willing to offer a fourth year, which prevented O'Day from signing with the Nationals, their Beltway rivals who had more money on the table.

O'Day was the top reliever on the free agent market after going 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA, six saves, 0.934 WHIP and a career-high 82 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings over 68 appearances. He's 23-8 with a 1.92 ERA and 0.939 WHIP in four seasons with the Orioles since they claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on Nov. 2, 2011.

The Orioles will hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon with O'Day, executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter.

To make room for O'Day on the 40-man roster, the Orioles designated infielder Rey Navarro for assignment. Navarro, 25, batted .276/.276/.448 (8-for-29) with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs in 10 games for the Orioles in 2015.

Navarro signed as a free agent on Nov. 26.

The back end of the Orioles' bullpen looks formidable with O'Day, closer Zach Britton, right-handers Brad Brach and Mychal Givens and left-hander Brian Matusz. They have plenty of candidates to fill the other two spots - Dylan Bundy is out of options - but they may add another arm later this winter.

"To me more than anything else, you need depth," pitching coach Dave Wallace said during Saturday's FanFest. "You have Zach, you have Darren, you have Brad Brach, you have Givens, you have Brian Matusz. (T.J.) McFarland. But as you all know, it's not 13 or 14 pitchers throughout the course of the season, so you're always looking for depth.

"One of our strengths is the bullpen and that's a conversations that's ongoing every day. How can we become a little bit better, how can we get more depth if something happens to the bullpen? Although it's good on paper, it's always a concern for a manager and a pitching coach."

Meanwile, the Orioles picked up an outfielder today, but not one of the big names on the market. They signed Alfredo Marte to a minor league deal after he appeared in five games with the Angels this season and went 2-for-6.

Marte has played 71 games in the majors, including 66 with the Diamondbacks from 2013-2014. He's 28-for-155 (.181) with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBIs.

The Diamondbacks signed Marte, 26, as an amateur free agent in 2005. The Angels claimed him off waivers Oct. 7, 2014 and he was granted free agency a year later.

Marte is a right-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions. He's a career .283/.343/.430 hitter in 10 minor league seasons.

Marte hit 20 home runs with Double-A Mobile in 2012.

CBSSports.com reported the Marte signing.