The Baltimore Orioles continued their efforts to reinforce their bullpen Friday, closing in on a one-year contract with free-agent right-hander Luis Ayala, according to a major-league source. The deal also might include a club option, the source said. Ayala, 34, rebounded with the New York Yankees last season, going 2-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 52 appearances. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers...

Today, the Orioles signed yet another pitcher – this time, a reliever. They signed reliever Luis Ayala – a seven-year veteran – to a one-year deal. From Roch’s Blog at MASN Sports: The club has reached agreement with right-hander Luis Ayala, and the deal will become official once his physical is completed and the results are known. It's believed to be a major league...

From the Baltimore Orioles... *** Orioles sign free agent RHP Luis Ayala The Orioles today announced that they have signed RHP LUIS AYALA to a one-year contract with a club option for 2013. Ayala, 34, posted a 2.09 ERA (56.0IP, 13ER) in 52 appearances for the Yankees last season. In seven major league seasons, he has gone 31-41 with a 3.47 ERA (446.1IP, 172ER) for Montreal...

The Baltimore Orioles have signed relief pitcher Luis Ayala to a one-year deal, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. Ayala will earn $925k in 2012 with the deal also including a team option for 2013 at $1mm with a $100k buyout. The Red Sox, Angels, Rays and Giants also were interested in the right-hander prior to his deal with Baltimore. Last year for the Yankees on a minor...

Luis Ayala was a bit of a surprise for the Yankees last season as they signed him for insurance and he ended up being a big contributor. Since then he has drawn a decent amount of interest as a free agent, but apparently not enough that it is the middle of January and he still hasn’t found a team. The Yankees have maintained interested in re-signing him though and still...

The Yankees have seven starters to fill five spots and with no room in the rotation for the five near major league ready starters down in Triple-A they will have no shortage of bullpen options. That means the Yankees lone un-signed free agent, Luis Ayala almost definitely will not be coming back next year. While he is looking for a job, he seems to have narrowed his options down...

The Orioles just designated Matt Angle for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Luis Ayala. Angle is a left handed hitting center fielder considered to be a marginal prospect ( somewhere in the 20's range/honorable mention type). Angle made his debut in the majors in July of 2011, appearing in 31 games with a .177 BA/.293 OBP and in AAA he hit .266 with a .343 OBP...

The Yankees are interested in bringing back reliever Luis Ayala, but they are not alone. According to Jim Bowden of ESPN XM radio, the Yankees are among six teams interested in signing the reliever. Over the past few years, Brian Cashman has done a great job putting together a bullpen and a large part of that has been signing a ton of relievers and hoping that one or two pan out...

Yankees GM Brian Cashman has indicated that under the right circumstances that he would like to bring back all of his free agents this offseason (although I somehow doubt that extends to Jorge Posada). Luis Ayala is one of those free agents, but he might need to act fast to keep the righty as the Red Sox and Rays have both “checked in” on him, according to Jon Paul Morosi...

The Angels are one of a "handful of teams" that have formally tendered a contract offer to Luis Ayala, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. It's unclear if it's a minor league contract offer, and the right-handed reliever is still weighing his options and no decision is imminent. Ayala, 34, was an excellent value signing for the Yankees in 2011 after inking...

The Yankees have finally set their 25-man roster that they will start the season with by adding right handed reliever Luis Ayala as the final man in the bullpen, according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News. That spot opened up when the Yankees decided to shutdown lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano, whom they signed to a two-year $8 million deal this offseason. They contemplated...

You know that old joke about guys having big hands? Well, Yankees pitcher Luis Ayala decided to catch some fly balls before the Yankees/Royals affair with an over sized glove. For Ayala, it didn't seem to improve his fielding that much: (Courtesy of MLB Video)

Prior to Game 2, Girardi stated that he was more than willing to utilize any of the Yankees relievers three days in a row. This ostensibly meant that Rivera, Robertson, and Soriano were available for Game 2 and Game 3, with Robertson and Soriano being available for Game 4, as well. Most would suggest that a three-run deficit is far from insurmountable - particularly at home, against...

The January 23rd, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Luis Ayala considering an offer from the Angels...

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Mets, in an effort to address their bullpen issues, choose to do so by targeting two of their least popular former relievers.  Disappointing might be a better word than interesting, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility.  On Sunday afternoon it was reported that New York is one of half a dozen teams to express interest in Luis Ayala...

Jim Bowden tweeted over the weekend that six teams were pursuing reliever Luis Ayala. The list of suitors included progressive teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays. Since these teams typically spend money wisely, their interest in a retread reliever like Ayala is pretty puzzling. Yes, Ayala had a decent 2011 season with the Yankees, but he isn’t the type of player...

Much of the news surrounding the Red Sox involves the club's managerial search, but Ben Cherington and Co. are still busy when it comes to the team's roster. The Red Sox are one of the teams to have checked in on free-agent reliever Luis Ayala, according to Fox Sports' John Paul Morosi. Ayala signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees last season and ended up appearing...

The Yankees have signed relief pitcher Luis Ayala to a minor-league contract. Per MLBTR, it is expected that Ayala will compete for a bullpen spot with the likes of Neil Cotts, Buddy Carlyle and Mark Prior.Ayala last pitched in the Majors in 2009 and was pretty bad, throwing 40 innings of 5.63 ERA/4.67 FIP ball worth 0.0 fWAR. A quick glance at Ayala's ledger reveals that...

Reliever Luis Ayala is weighing offers from the Angels and the Orioles and could sign with one of the two "at any moment," according to Fernando Ballesteros at the Mexican baseball magazine Puro Béisbol (via Twitter, in Spanish). The Padres, he writes, were also involved but have left negotiations with the 34-year-old. According to Ballesteros, Ayala is seeking a two-year deal...

The January 26th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including the courtship Pujols and Wilson...

Via Mark Feinsand:Luis Ayala will be the final man on the Yankees' pitching staff to open the season, as the Bombers chose the veteran righthander over young lefty Steve Garrison. ... Ayala, who came to camp as a non-roster invite, did not fly to New York with the team on Tuesday, but was headed north on a flight Wednesday morning.In 8.2 innings this spring, Ayala posted...

According to the Pacific Coast League transaction page, the Colorado Rockies have signed right-handed pitcher Luis Ayala to a Minor League contract and assigned him to the Colorado Spring Sky Sox. Ayala was with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization earlier this season when he signed a Minor League deal in May, but he never made it to the big league club. The right-handed relief...

According to a Tweet by Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, sources tell him that the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays have checked in on free agent reliever Luis Ayala. Ayala pitched for the Yankees in 2011 after signing a Minor League deal in February 2011.  He went 2-2 in 52 appearances and was signed to a $650,000 contract in 2011. Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons...

The New York Yankees have again added to their bullpen, reaching an agreement with right-handed reliever Luis Ayala. Ayala's impressive work as Mexico's closer in the Caribbean Series this offseason earned him the invite to the team's major league spring training, reports FOXSports.com. Ayala had a 1.99 ERA and racked up 14 saves in 37 appearances, while posting a 3.6...

The D'Backs signed Luis Ayala to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). D'Backs relievers have combined for a 7.90 ERA and just 81 strikeouts to go along with 67 walks this year.Ayala, a 32-year-old right-hander, signed with the Dodgers this winter and had been pitching in Triple A, where he has a 4.50 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 14 appearances...