Darren Oliver RP FA Wed 1/4/12 11:05 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Blue Jays signed LHP Darren Oliver to a one-year contract with a club option for 2013.
Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, but they should leak out at some point this week. Oliver, 41, posted a career-best 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances last year with the Rangers while earning a salary of $3.25 million. He will function as a lefty specialist and setup man in 2012 for the Blue Jays.
Darren Oliver RP FA Fri 12/30/11 5:04 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Blue Jays have signed left-hander Darren Oliver to a one-year contract with a club option for 2013.
Terms aren't yet known and the deal won't become official until he passes a physical, likely sometime next week. Oliver, 41, earned $3.25 million in 2011 while posting a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances for the repeat American League champion Rangers. He'll pitch in a set-up role for Toronto next season.
Darren Oliver RP FA Fri 12/30/11 2:37 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that free agent left-hander Darren Oliver is close to a deal with the Blue Jays.
It's not clear how much the left-hander would get. Oliver had thought to have been a lock to re-up with the Rangers earlier this offseason, but he decided he'd be willing to play elsewhere, and that evidently includes going north of the border. The 41-year-old left-hander earned $3.25 million in 2011 while posting a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances.
Darren Oliver RP FA Wed 12/21/11 2:02 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports that the Angels have reached out to the agent for free agent Darren Oliver.
Oliver would prefer to return to the Rangers, but a source tells Gonzalez that he is "not ruling out other contending teams." The veteran southpaw is also willing to defer most of his contract to accomodate the Angels. Oliver, who pitched with the Anaheim from 2007-2009, posted a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances this past season. The Angels have also shown interest in Francisco Cordero and Joel Zumaya among free agent relievers.
Darren Oliver RP FA Wed 12/14/11 3:22 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that free agent Darren Oliver is drawing interest from the Rangers, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.
Oliver returning to the Rangers once looked like a forgone conclusion, but ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported over the weekend that he is now "keeping an open mind" about where he'll play next season. The 41-year-old left-hander earned $3.25 million in 2011 while posting a career-low 2.29 ERA in 61 relief appearances.
Darren Oliver RP FA Sat 12/10/11 1:56 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports Darren Oliver is ''keeping an open mind'' about signing elsewhere next season, and ''getting feelers from other clubs,'' including the Red Sox.
Oliver, 41, is coming off the finest season of his career and is one of the few remaining lefthanded relievers available. He's likely to see an increase from the $3.25 million he earned in 2011.
Darren Oliver RP FA Tue 12/6/11 6:02 AM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, Darren Oliver appears likely to re-sign with the Rangers.
Oliver has had three stints with Texas during his nearly two decades in the majors. In what was perhaps the finest season of his career, he earned $3.25 million in 2011 while compiling a 2.29 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
Darren Oliver RP FA Wed 11/23/11 1:31 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Darren Oliver will not be offered arbitration by the Rangers.
Oliver was previously a Type A free agent, but his status changed to a Type B under the new CBA agreement. The Rangers were not required to offer arbitration and will receive a supplemental draft pick if he signs with another team. The 41-year-old left-hander made $3.25 million this season while posting a 2.29 ERA and 44/11 K/BB ratio over 51 innings.
Darren Oliver RP FA Tue 10/18/11 7:40 PM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Darren Oliver would like to play again in 2012.
Oliver, 41, is still extremely effective, having lowered his ERA each of the last four seasons from 2.88 to 2.71 to 2.48 to 2.29 this season. He posted a 7.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 51 innings this year. Oliver made $3.25 million in 2011 and should be able to fetch a couple million in the offseason if he decides to keep playing.
Darren Oliver RP FA Sun 10/9/11 9:35 AM
Darren Oliver
RP FA
Darren Oliver hasn't decided if he'll play again in 2012 or retire.
Oliver, 41, is still extremely effective, having lowered his ERA each of the last four seasons from 2.88 to 2.71 to 2.48 to 2.29 this season. He made $3.25 million in 2011 and should be able to fetch a couple million for 2012 if he decides to keep playing. "If I do play, it'll be only one more year," said Oliver, who will consider the opinion of his wife and sons when making his final decision. "We'll talk about it. We haven't really even discussed it."