TODAY: The A’s have officially announced the signing.
FEB. 18, 8:37pm: While it’s only a one-year pact, the Athletics will pay Trevor Rosenthal for three seasons, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets. He’ll earn $3MM in both 2021 and ’22 and another $5MM in ’23.
8:59am: In a surprising move, the A’s have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent righty Trevor Rosenthal, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Boras Corporation client will earn $11MM in 2021 and presumably slot in as Oakland’s primary closer before returning to the open market next winter.
It’s a rather stunning development to see the Athletics of all clubs strike this pact. Oakland has spent the offseason in a veritable state of dormancy, only jumping into the free-agent market after first shedding a notable chunk of cash in the deal that shipped Khris Davis and his $16.75MM salary to Texas. Even then, the additions made by the club have been small-scale in nature: one-year deals with Yusmeiro Petit ($2.55MM), Sergio Romo ($2.25MM) and Mitch Moreland ($2.25MM).
The only indication to date that the A’s have been willing to spend near this level on a single player has been their $12.5MM offer to shortstop Marcus Semien, although The Athletic reported that offer came with as much as $10MM deferred over the course of an entire decade. The extent of deferrals in the Rosenthal deal isn’t yet known, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that a portion of that $11MM is indeed deferred beyond the 2021 season. Passan adds that Rosenthal and agent Scott Boras initially set out seeking a four-year pact, but when the multi-year interest they received didn’t meet those lofty expectations, Rosenthal eventually opted for a higher-value one-year deal.
Rosenthal, 30, was among the game’s most dominant relievers in 2020 — a remarkable rebound from a 2018-19 downturn that had brought his very future in the game into question. From 2012-17, Rosenthal was one of the National League’s best relievers, tossing 325 innings of 2.99 ERA ball and punching out 31.2 percent of his opponents while closing down games in St. Louis. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017, however, causing him to miss the entire 2018 season.
When he returned in 2019 with the Nationals, Rosenthal walked 15 of the 43 batters he faced and plunked another three while mixing in five wild pitches. He went to the Tigers and walked more than a quarter of his opponents there, too, before landing with the Yankees’ Triple-A club. Rosenthal faced five batters with the Yankees’ Scranton affiliate, walking three of them and hitting another.
The sudden case of the yips had many questioning whether he’d ever make it back from Tommy John surgery, but Rosenthal parlayed a minor league deal with the the Royals into the aforementioned dominant 2020 campaign that brought about this sizable one-year arrangement. Armed with a triple-digit heater and a rediscovered control of the strike zone, Rosenthal tossed 13 2/3 innings of 3.29 ERA ball as Kansas City’s closer before being traded to the Padres, where he closed out the year with 10 shutout innings of relief. Overall, the flamethrowing righty posted a 1.90 ERA and 2.31 SIERA with a powerhouse 41.8 percent strikeout rate and a strong 8.8 percent walk rate.
If Rosenthal can replicate that success in 2021, he could hit the market as a 31-year-old on the heels of a similar resurgence to that of the man he’ll effectively replace in Oakland: Liam Hendriks. The Aussie buzzsaw went from clearing outright waivers in 2018 to breaking out as one of MLB’s most dominant relievers in 2019-20. Hendriks cashed in on a $54MM guarantee this winter, and it stands to reason that another dominant year will position Rosenthal for that type of commitment and the lengthy multi-year deal he coveted as well.
It’s been a remarkable week for the Oakland bullpen, which not long ago looked to be a collection of question marks anchored by veteran lefty Jake Diekman. In the past seven days, however, they’ve acquired ground-ball machine Adam Kolarek from the Dodgers, re-signed iron man Yusmeiro Petit and inked slider specialist Sergio Romo as well. The A’s bullpen now looks like a deep, formidable group with the highly underrated J.B. Wendelken and the talented-but-still-inconsistent Lou Trivino now sliding down the ladder into lower-leverage spots.
The Athletics’ payroll, meanwhile, will rise to nearly $85MM — a fraction of what many clubs will spend in 2021 but at least within striking distance of their 2019-20 levels of spending. It’s hard to praise ownership too much when this recent spending spree was preceded by a salary dump and an insulting offer to their longtime clubhouse leader, but it’s better late than never to act like the contenders they should be.
Oakland won the American League West in 2020 and captured Wild Card berths in both 2018 and 2019. However, they’ve yet to ride this talented core — anchored by Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Ramon Laureano and Semien — beyond the divisional round of postseason play. The core group is morphing a bit, with Semien now in Toronto and Jesus Luzardo perhaps emerging to lead the Oakland rotation, but the A’s still have control of Chapman, Olson and Laureano for multiple years. Adding Rosenthal, Petit, Romo, Moreland and Kolarek in a week’s time only supplements that core and gives the club a shot at its first full-season division crown since 2013.
Oakland has quietly built a really solid bullpen. They have been my pick to win the AL West all winter even before these additions. Nothing has changed that.
Solid pickup.
Extremely solid. Seems Fisher finally realized that giving enough resources to Billy Beane and co they can be creative enough to be competitive.
Shocking that a) the A’s spent that much and b) that Rosenthal got that much. Glad for the fans and Rosenthal but last year was such a small sample size and his recent history has been inconsistent.
But that’s why a 1 year deal isn’t a bad thing. As I hear MLB people say “there’s no such thing as a bad 1 year deal”. Some cases there may be some overpays but it’s done after one year and not on your books for multiple.
A ton of it will be deferred. Kinda like taking full amount from lotto.
Nice pick up
Greg Holland to the Cardinals was the worst 1 year deal in history. $14 million for half a season and -1.4 WAR (per Baseball Reference). Probably cost them a shot at the 2nd WC that year, too. I don’t even know what the opportunity cost was in terms of who they COULD have signed with that money.
But did it impact the franchise going forward? That is what the phrase mean. It doesn’t mean the signing cant suck that year. It just means it wont echo into the coming years.
When you are a small market team and in your window of contention, a bad one year deal can be disastrous. Its one year of opportunity wasted. Sure the contract will be off the books, but your young players just got one year closer to FA, and you’re not likely to sign extensions.
When you’re a small market team, any bad deal can be disastrous – matter of fact, any contract at all can be disastrous, even 14-year $340M deals
Small teams should just never sign a player ever then. Bunch of cowards.
I’m sure the $14m could’ve been spent somewhere – either in 2018 or the next year, so I don’t really know if it had any impact beyond completely tanking that season.
And the money matters to small market clubs. Not a cheap deal.
Greg Holland wouldn’t have been that bad had he been given more of a chance to get ready for the season in the minor leagues. The Cardinals signed him on March 31st and with no spring training he was in the their bullpen on April 10th. He pitched much better the second half of the season with the Nationals. If thats the worst one year deal ever it was by their own doing
Only if you believe the lie that MLB teams and their billionaire owners are poor. A 24M AAV? Top players are already getting AAV’s in the $36M range today. In a decade, Tatis’ $24M is going to be like paying someone $15M, There’s going to be players making $50 by the time this deal is done. Don’t believe it? Trevor Bauer is making $40M THIS year. The Padres did what the Red Sox should have done with Betts early on, or the Indians with Lindor. Well done on the Padres side.
Tell that to the Angels over the last couple of years
Armchair quarterbacking Rob. What happens if he turns into a “Super Joe Charboneau” a one year wonder or an injury or illness like what happened to David Wright? Insurance is not like it used to be with premiums, co-pays and exclusions. The market got burned a few times and has learned. This is a big risk by a small market club that is trying to compete with the big boys. Big risks can mean big rewards but they also can cripple the franchise, especially when external factors create a worse situation. Take the Mets, a big market club. They got hammered years ago when the anticipated Madoff returns dried up and recently due to COVID and no fans in the seats. They were forced to sell because they had notes coming due last October with much less cash flow. Their lenders due to the COVID uncertainty then were making things difficult, etc. If everything hits, fans return and the Padres win it all, there will much love but if the opposite happens, it will be like the movie Death Race 2000 with people pointing fingers and being thrown under a bus.
If revenue sharing goes back to normal, the A’s ownership will stand to gain more in the sharing process than they spend in payroll even after Rosenthal.
A’s don’t get revenue sharing anymore. Haven’t since 2019 (where they only got 25% of what everyone else got).
And mlb took away their competitive balance pick too, double whammy
looie,
Yeah, but can Trevor Rosenthal drink beer up his nose like Super Joe?
https://www.mlb.com/cut4/the-legend-of-super-joe-charboneau-c214075418
It kinda did Steve, they cried broke into the next 2 years only signing a few players in the off season.
Uni,
I don’t remember that. If I’m remembering right, he would open beer bottles with his eyelid closed. I might be imagining that but for some reason I remember it. He was great for that year as was The Bird, Fidrych.
Holland sure was awful. Though he did rebound upon leaving for the Rockies. So go figure in that they should’ve kept a bit longer.
Tatis 24M AAV is misleading. First 4 years of his deal is 34 million total through his arb years. His last 10 will be 30.6 per year on the books. The AAV is what counts towards luxury tax so that surely helps out a lot down the line when trying to fill out your roster
To my knowledge Billy Beane isn’t very involved. Oakland fans will know more than me tho
Again, a reminder for naive Met fans out there. When the reporters lead with “Mets are in on (whomever)” it is made up. Do not believe it.
Jeff is gone, and therefore no one in Queens is leaking anything to lazy reporters anymore.
I know, I know, it’s been that way for FORTY YEARS. But no more.
Actually it goes back to when M. Donald Grant negotiated with Seaver by way of Dick Young and the NY Daily News in 1976-77 before the trade.
Having said that, kudos to Oakland for “a good get.”
That negotiating was a complete disaster, resulting in Seaver demanding a trade, and leaving the Mets. I was at shea for his return to NY. The ovation he received was more thunderous than the jets taking off from LaGuardia. I kid you not.
I also remember Ranger fans chanting “Eddie” when their great goaltender was traded away. Those were hard times for New York sports fans.
Hey, I thought Rosenthal was signing with the Mets like all the rest of the Type A free agents this season? Starting to think nobody wants to sign with the Mets? Who can blame em?
That was the greatest thing to watch. Eddie had tears in his eyes in appreciation. A poor quality tape is on YouTube. Against the Red Wings.
Actually they mirror the Rays. Gonna be a spoiler season.
Interesting. Didn’t expect the A’s to win this race. Nice replacement for Hendricks.
Expected the Phillies to pull this off. Good for the A’s though. Always making sneaky good moves.
Crap. I still had pipe dreams that the Phils would somehow land him
It’s crazy how Oakland pays 11 Million for a reliever but penny pinching in so many other ways
The As know that building a bullpen in this environment, where very few starters average six inning, is extremely important. Like the Rays, they are well ahead of the curve on this. It is why they won the division last year and why they will be in the race this year.
Over the last 3 years, the A’s have been remarkably consistent winning at a .600 clip. I’d expect roughly the same in 2021. They certainly aren’t a perfect team, and have some middle infield question marks (especially at SS). Their SP can be good but also inconsistent. Waiting for Montas, Luzardo and Manaea to emerge as a consistent top-of-the-rotation guy and Bassitt will probably come back to earth a bit in ’21.
That said, they’ve overtaken the Astros and have probably done enough towards the end of the offseason to maintain the top spot once again in the division.
kinda shocked he got that much this late in the game
Had to outbid the Mets deep pockets.
Mets have been all talk, no action. Lindor was great but not much else
Correction: Met REPORTERS have been all talk. They make things up. They have no more “Chief – Executive – Leaker” (Jeff) so they have no more pipeline of information.
Lindor
Carrasco
McCann
May
Pillar
Villareal
Stroman
Lindor and Stroman are the only players on that list who move the needle. The Mets have not done enough to overtake the Braves
If you don’t think Carrasco, McCann, or May help move the needle than , im sorry,, but ur acting like a m0r0n
Pecota already has the Mets light yrs ahead of braves now
@DarkSide would you have taken Rosentahl for 11 mil,
11 for 1 probably not … 11 for 2 i would take the flyer that he is the 9 games rather than what he has been for the last few years (ala betances)
I think that puts us over the cap or dangerously close. before the Moore and Anderson deals I would have though.
who had this predicted?
Boom goes the Mess and Filthies bullpen! The A’s are back baby!
Mess!
Filthies!
OMG! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Phillies pen was set…fof better or worse they weren’t going after Rosenthal for that kind of money. They’re up against the tax threshold.
Robertson on a low guaranteed base salary with significant performance incentives would be a good addition; reunite him with Girardi.
Robertson (through no fault of his own) stole money from the Phillies for the past 3 seasons. A reunion seems unlikely to me.
It would be a tough pill to swallow, but I would welcome him back if they think he’s going to be healthy. I was excited when they signed him the first time, and I still want to see what he can do! I feel cheated out of the fun of watching him pitch for us, dang it, he was really good!
water under the bridge
@Darkside Sure, and I don’t necessarily mean there will be hard feelings. I just mean “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.” The Phillies may not want to touch Robertson with that risk. They were burnt big time.
That’s why I suggested structuring the deal as low risk, high mutual reward. Offer a base salary of no more than 2M with an ability to earn up to 10-12M if he is truly outstanding. A Robertson that good would almost guarantee a postseason slot and justify exceeding the luxury tax threshold.
D-Rob’s not getting any deal w/ incentives to give him that. Prob 2-3 guaranteed with another 2-3 in incentives at the most.
Wow. And Oakland continues to be sneaky good in the off season.
A’s have displaced Astros.
the Astros were already in dire straits at the start of the offseason. while I dont think Oakland has gotten better and perhaps even has less talent then this time last year, losing Springer and still having pitching concerns is not helpful.
They aren’t dead yet. Alvarez was out last year and can replace Springer’s production. They also had a bunch of guys slumping until the playoffs. Plus, they destroyed Oakland’s starters in the post season and their pitchers out pitched Oakland as well. Will be a much tighter division, but Oakland also had losses with Semien, Grossman, and Hendriks. They filled those holes but with lesser players.
Angels gonna will 95 games and win the West. Astros and A’s will be neck and neck till the last week of the season and ultimately both get wild cards at the last second. IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN!
A’s will blow by everyone in the West if healthy. Their pitching and defense is by far the best in the div by a long, long way, and they have high ceiling mashers in the lineup.
Idk, I think it’s all pretty even in the AL West. There’s not clear winner imo.
The young starting pitching, who all have injury history is a big issue.
that can be said about every West club but Seattle and I dont think they have the overall ammunition.
Did Trout learn how to pitch?
The Angels bullpen stinks, and with starters averaging less than six innings the only way they can win 95 games is if hoping and praying works.
Horrible off-season for the Angels. With just a few smart moves they would have been in the drivers seat. Now they are hoping their pen isn’t going to turn into an arson squad. Relying on players with no history of success is flat out stupid.
Watch Perry get all the credit for what was essentially an Eppler built team finally being healthy.
The Angels would need more than “a few smart moves” to be in the drivers seat of anything
Yeah the angels relying on Quintana is not good…. sure quintana >>> than Teheran. But still not good
The moon is made of green cheese. IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN
‘Harry Caray : Hey! Now Ken, we all know that the moon is not made of green cheese.
Ken Waller : Yes, that’s true Harry.
Harry Caray : But what if it were made of barbeque spare ribs, would you eat it then?“
A’s have not displaced Astros. The Angels will be the first team to surpass the Astros, but it won’t be this season.
The A’s finished 7 games up on Astros last season
The Astros have already been surpassed
Oakland already surpassed the Astros last year.
Damn! I was hoping the Angels would get him, now they’ll be facing him! What the hell are Minasian and the Angels doing?
It seems they’re waiting for next year. As a lifelong Angel fan, I’m a bit tired of this. I wish they would’ve signed this guy, but hey, maybe there’s another depth piece OF out there we can find. LOL.
I’ve been tired of this for a decade now. It’s become very clear Arte has no interest in signing pitchers. Can’t imagine 3 separate GMs would continue to make the same mistake without heavy influence from above.
Meteor, it looks to me like you are right.
arte wants to sign a ss for $30 mil per next season.
Of course he does. Needs his shiny new marketing piece. My guess is Cory Seager because of his major dodger envy.
Meteor, do you want to tell me why Artie couldn’t invest on a couple solid RPs this year and get Seager next year? It’s not like these EPs are signing multi-year deals. What a stupid off-season.
Bingo. Arte wants to spend money on bats and only bats. Not pitchers, definitely not scouting and development. Just bats.
GM is a nice title to have but Arte has way too much control. I know, I know, he tried to buy Cole last year. The fact we can point to the one time he chased a big arm actually shows how rare that is.
Like all Angels fans, I was hoping they would sign Rosenthal.
Are they still looking for RP or are they heading into the season with what they have?
Does Ian Kennedy have anything left in the tank? I thought he had some success as a RP with the Royals.
When they signed Claudio so early I wondered what on Earth are they doing? I thought it was a huge mistake and foreshadowed what was to follow. People didn’t take me seriously. I hope they take me seriously now.
In all fairness, that was back in mid-December. Hendriks, Yates, Archie Bradley and Hand wouldn’t sign for another month+. Guys in the second tier like Colome, Melancon, McGee O’Day, Kintzler wouldn’t sign for nearly 2 more months later. You were right, but hindsight is 20-20. You can’t blame people for thinking that they would sign more relievers when there were still so many on the market and well early into the off season.
The A’s give Rosenthal the chance to Close games, the Angels do not. The Angels brought in Raisel Iglesias early and never spend big on bullpen arms.
Its hard to say what Kennedy has left in the tank. He was decent out of the ‘pen ’19 but allowed 14 ER in 14 innings last year. Might be worth a minor league invite to training camp but probably not a guaranteed deal
Pitchers dont pitch 8 innings. The bullpen is as important as any position in baseball. Having a single pitcher does not a bullpen make. The Angels should have several solid bets for 7th and 8th inning duties. They don’t have one.
Kennedy is probably a better bet than who they have, which is a very low bar indeed.
Almost all of the Angels bullpen acquisitions have either been through trades, waivers, or minor league signings. Cody Allen was their last big expenditure out of the bullpen and we know how that worked out
In the last 10 years the Angels are 24th in bullpen WAR and 21st worst in blown saves. But it’s worse than that because every year the throw away a half dozen plus games in April and May figuring out who they can use in high leverage situations.
They make the same mistakes every single year. You would think they would grow a brain.
Halo, we have discussed this before, and I truly believe relievers are incredibly volatile and silly to spend a lot of money on. If the Angels are in contention in July, they will be cheap to get via trades. Arte has spent money on relievers in the past and it simply has not worked out: Fuentes, Street, etc.
I agree with you regarding throwing games away in April and May trying to figure out who the “man” is. That is much more of a managerial problem than anything, in my opinion. I think Scioscia was the worst at managing a bullpen, and I do not think Maddon is far behind.
The Angels have lost a TON of really close games the past few years against their division opponents. I agree starting pitching and bullpen was the issue. I do not think Rosenthal would have been the difference maker here, especially for that price.
Taco, they are volatile but you still make good bets. I don’t care who you are, if you have a track record of being good you are a good bet to be good. If you have a track record of being bad, you are likely to be bad. The Angels have one BP arm with a track record of being good.
An 8th inning guy that was a good bet to be good would have made a huge difference. I think Rivera is going to be the second best guy in this pen. And if he makes the team, he won’t be pitching in high leverage situation until June.
I figured we’d miss on Rosenthal, that he’d get paid big money and get to close.
However, that huge second tier of solid arms like Melancon, Soria, McGee…..there’s no excuse not to grab one of them, particularly at the rates they’ve been signing.
Getting Iglesias was great, but there will be 2-3 innings each night, maybe more, between when the starter leaves and Iglesias enters. We need to fill that gap.
I agree. There is no reason the Angels couldn’t have picked up one of the cheaper arms on the market. That being said, knowing Maddon, they would have poorly utilized them anyway. Think of Jose Alvarez and Holby Milner. Were those pitchers ever used appropriately? Scioscia had a hard on for Alvarez and I just never saw the potential (still do not). You or I could have pitched better than Milner. Why were these players CONSISTENTLY given chances? It’s like they are paying the managers off or something.
Heaven. We agree
What are the Angels doing, you ask? The same the they are always doing…being themselves…every step of the way towards another bad season.
LETS GO
Sneaky good move. I didn’t see that one coming.
The A’s should wait until every team has signed all the players they want and then just send out a general invite saying “if anyone not signed still wants to play this year, we’ll sign you.” I’m essence that’s what they do each year. Waiting for them to sign Julio Franco any day now.
Rosenthal was probably the best FA left on the market, the Mets were after him and the A’s outpaid them for his services. This move doesn’t match this comment.
What does this have to do with the Mets? This move has nothing to do with them.
Literally THREE days ago, stop gaslighting.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/02/mets-interested-in-trevor-rosenthal.html
It’s not gaslighting, McFly.
Mike Puma and other Met beat writers are making things up. Their pipeline of information has been cut off. Jeff W is no longer in charge there, and cannot supply reporters with intel any longer.
It’s NY sports media. They always make things up. The Yankees are in on everyone. Now the Mets will be. It’s no fault of the teams. It’s reporters looking for headlines.
You need to find another hobby, I’ve been reading MLBTR for years, and usually enjoy the comments section that has some wild but entertaining takes. Yours, not so much
Well done A’s,
RPs still available:
Shane Greene
Tyler Clippard
Ian Kennedy
Jeremy Jeffress
Jose Alvarez
Jesse Chavez
Junior Guerra
Brad Peacock
Juan Nicasio
AJ Ramos
David Robertson
Edinson Volquez
Tyler Thornburg
Ryan Tepera
Tyler Clippard is definitley one of the more underrated arms left. Would like to see the Pirates maybe have a reunion with Edinson Volquez like they did in 2019 with Francisco Liriano. Volquez was still in the 93-95 MPH range with his sinker last season with above average spin on that pitch and his curveball. You also can’t forget about MVP candidate Ryan Tepera.
Guerra signed with the Angels
you mean MVP candidate Ryan Tepera!
I saved the best for last. lol
Alvarez should be able to get a deal with some one
Yeah, I’ll be shocked if at least 5-6 of these guys aren’t signed by the weekend. I imagine Greene is pushing for multiple years, but it’ll be interesting how it plays out.
This list angers me because there is no reason for the Marlins to not sign Clippard or Jeffress. Even Greene. I know they want a closer and all 3 have done it. I wouldn’t want them closing but if Jeffress found his stuff he could become the closer. Clippard will always be a good set up man it seems. And I’m sure they could all be had for cheap as long as they are a major league deal. Heck bring Ramos back home.
Helluva signing by the A’s. Well ran teams are so fun to follow.
Chapman must be healthy and ready to go for them to make this move. They have a legit chance to leapfrog Houston. Still don’t see them as legit contenders, but it’s starting to look like an interesting race out West.
They leapfrogged Houston last year
Until that nasty thing called the playoffs showed up…..
Yep and the Trashstros were clearly cheating again vs Oakland in last years playoffs, but no one wants to talk about THAT.
Cheating in a netural ballpark?
Do tell. The ball was flying out of Dodger Stadium. The A’s just didn’t have the power to match Houston without Chapman and with other guys struggling.
Yeah it’s tough to win in the playoffs without your best player – Matt Chapman. I”m still impressed they got past the White Sox without Chappy! The A’s owned the Astros last year during the regular season, it really felt like the AL West had a new champ
What’s the data of that supports the conclusion that the Astros clearly cheated in 2020 playoffs?
They finished with a better record, but practically everyone on Houston underperformed and they were without Alvarez. I wouldn’t say that Oakland was, or even necessarily is, the better team going into the year. I think 2020 was an aberration.
Top 3 AL team now, incredible signing.
lol
Top 3 AL west team now. I’ll give you that.
A’s
2018 – 97 wins
2019 – 97 wins
2020 – wins AL West and winning percentage was on pace for… 97 wins
It can be argued that the A’s actually got BETTER this year over last year’s opening day roster. Semien and (especially) Davis were brutal last year. Semien’s 2019 is looking like an outlier
Khris Davis was SO bad, that Andrus + Moreland > Semien + Davis. If Lowrie is healthy again, that’s an even better 2021 lineup
I would also take Rosenthal, Romo, Kolarek, and a healthy Puk over Hendriks and Soria
Greinke is getting older and Springer is gone. Astros are hoping Alvarez will be healthy
Can you please explain how adding a declining 32 year old shortstop in Andrus and 35 year old Mitch Moreland has significantly improved the team? I am struggling. Will they win the division? Maybe, it is probably the weakest in the AL. Are they a top 3 team? Not even close. New York, Tampa, White Sox, and Blue Jays are all significantly better. I put the As about on par with the Twins. The Angels and Astros are close after that.
How is it that Semien’s 2019 was an aberration, but his 2020, in the weirdest season in decades, isn’t? Is it because he plays for someone else now? And if the Astros are hoping Alvarez is healthy, the A’s are hoping the same for Chapman. The A’s are good, but I don’t think they’re shoo-ins to win that division.
A’s already have a good report on Chapman’s recovery, and his skills are known. He’ll play every day.
The best evaluators say Alvarez is a DH who might get some utility work (sub-average speed/glove/arm), and whose knees are still questionable. He might even be platooned with Toro.
@tj
I find myself agreeing with most of your takes, and you clearly watch the games closely and know what you’re talking about. I agree with everything here except no way would I take Elvis and Moreland over Marcus and Krush for 2021.
First off, Elvis has never been anywhere near the offensive player that Marcus is. Also, Elvis’s defense is on the decline. Marcus has turned into an outstanding defensive shortstop. Sure, Chapman reduced his ground cover, but he has steadily progressed from being a terrible defender. You could really see the difference in 2018, and then in 2019, he got rid of that double pump/hitch in his throw. He is totally confident, super smooth, amazingly accurate arm, and without that hitch, he is an excellent defense of short stop. We are going to miss him.
So, how come nobody talks about the two significant injuries that Krush suffered in 2019? He was right on pace for having another of his consistent years, then got serious hip/leg injury in left field (in Milwaukee?)… I love Bob Melvin, but why the hell was Davis playing in left field, when he literally cannot throw… Then he gets hurt and hasn’t been the same since. Once he started recovering from that leg injury, he got plunked by a pitch on the hand. Then, when finally seemingly healthy, Davis started crushing again in last year’s playoffs. I think he is a huge bounce back candidate.
Khris Davis has been SO bad, literally a wasted out in the lineup, that I would take Moreland, Andrus, and Lowrie over him and Semien. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Would be interesting to revisit this post in October and see how it played out
Dude, the A’s and Astros set home run records in their playoff series, Dodger stadium was an insane launching pad that week. Was it the hot (because of Cali fires), dry air, and all those day games? I have to judge that playoff series with a grain of salt
BTW I said “it can be argued that the A’s actually got BETTER” – and I was talking about the entire opening day roster. I did not say Andrus and Moreland made them “significantly” better. There’s a big difference! Go A’s!
Who said they are shoo-ins? What’s your definitely of a shoo-in? I do think they will repeat as AL West champs in 2021. I didn’t say they are going to win the division by 10 games. I’ve also been watching Semien for years, and 2019 was a career year. It’s not like every other year is a 2019 for him.
We will talk about it in October. I hope to be saying, “I’m glad you were right and I was wrong…”
One year of 11 million > four year 50+ million for an over 30 closer. A bit steep still, but smarter move.
This guy sucked for 2 yrs, and was injured what little money they have goes towards bullpen, but don’t sign semien SMH. Relievers are unpredictable season to season. I’d rather invest in position players..
I like what we did with the Moreland signing. All our other positions are filled. Who would you have suggested we had signed? I honestly think Andrus will be an upgrade over semien, I understand Andrus had an awful year last year but I think he will bounce back nicely.
Well no he sucked in 2019 after coming back from injury and was elite last season
It is literally so awesome to see how Rosy has recalibrated himself after a horrific initial comeback. Great dude, nicely done A’s.
Great signing, I think they have the deepest pen in the AL now.
Rosenthal, deikman, kolarek, petit, romo, wendleken , trivino. Personally I’d trade trivino. Amazing stuff but inconsistent.
No way trade Lou. His upside is so high compared to what we would get for him. If anything, dump Blackburn.
This signing confuses me, back to the stat classroom.
Rosenthal is a moment generating function.
Really did not see this coming.
Good pickup, but yet another overpay
This is a mind boggling good deal for Rosenthal considering how poorly the relief market has been getting paid this off season
Wouldn’t necessarily say the relief market is getting paid poorly. Hendriks getting 3/54 is not “poorly”. Top end relievers are getting paid a good sum.
Hendriks’ deal could also be 4/54, which is significantly more likely. That’s a lot more reasonable. Your point stands, though. The top guys are doing better than most of us thought they would after Hand’s option was declined and he passed waivers.
Well, I guess my skepticism about the Mets being “interested” in Rosenthal was valid…. Although I wonder if this was another case of the Mets not being able to offer him the role he wanted. Like with Hand & the Nats, he’s essentially guaranteed to be the closer.
If money was equal, this has to be the reason. A’s had no set closer other “maybe Diekman”, Rosenthal immediately slots in perfectly there. Mets can’t offer that role, they have too many RPs who fit that role already.
The Lugo injury really stings, because having him obviously made them a less attractive target for someone like Hand or Rosenthal (not necessarily a bad thing given that Lugo has been excellent at a very low cost) but now they also don’t have a great high leverage fallback in the event that Diaz has a 2019-type implosion. I like May, but I don’t know if I’d trust him as THE guy in the high leverage spots.
I thought Rosenthal would have been a good pick up for Atlanta.
Double dagger to Angels fans – didn’t sign him and then have to face him. Happy Thursday!
Spent that $13mill Texas gave them in Andrus deal on Moreland and Rosenthal.. not bad use of funds
True, you can see that trade as Khris Davis for Elvis Andrus, Mithc Moreland, and Trevor Rosenthal. I’d take that all day.
I like it!
And if OAK isn’t contending, they can easily trade Rosenthal to the highest bidder @ the Deadline, similar to what KC did last year to SD where he excelled in the 10 IP he got from SD. Nice move by OAK.
Nice to see even the A’s are outspending the Angels on bullpen upgrades. Sigh…
Great pickup by the A’s.
Loved him in his short time with the Pads. Good pick up A’s!
Depending on health that could he a great deal
He will win the Moe Rivera reliever award this year now. Just wait and see.
A one year deal was the Angels specialty this offseason too. Oh well…
Rosenthal is proof that we have absolutely no idea how relievers will perform. I recall how painful it was to watch him pitch in 2019 and two years later he gets $11 million. On the flip side, you can be great in 2019 and struggle in 2020 (say Brandon Workman) and get 1/4 of that or for some guys a NRI. I mean you might be better off finding guys who were good in 2018-2109 and stunk up the joint in 2020.
Rosenthal also proves there is a mental side to this guy. Not everything can be reduced to a number. I wouldn’t be surprised if some coach we don’t know when he was with the Tigers unlocked something to get him back where he is now. Just this game is more complicated than just what is on baseball reference.
There will be plenty of guys who get next to nothing and get the “dumpster diving” comments on here that will be great in 2021 and plenty of high-paid relievers who stink. It’s just the nature of small-sample sizes and relief pitchers.
Not too surprised the A’s would get him if they were offering that kind of money
2018 – didn’t play
2019 – 22 horrific games
2020 – 14 games, 3.80 FIP with Royals
….. – 9 amazing games with Padres
Without the 9 games in San Diego, would he have been given more than a few million?
May pitch great, but he does not have much track record the last 3 seasons. 9 unbelievable relief appearances over 3 years is about the smallest sample size we’ve ever seen someone get a 10+ million contract off of, I imagine
I was hoping that the M’s were going to get him, but not at this cost. Good for Trevor.
Very convenient for your narrative you take those seasons. Could be better put:
6 years of relative excellence
Tommy John
One bad year bouncing back from TJ
Excellent again
Pointing out the last 3 seasons track record is not a convenience, and there is no narrative other than indicating why he went to Oakland if they were willing to offer that kind of insane cash off such limited results
And he was not excellent last season. He was excellent in just those 9 games after a trade to the NL-W. He was merely fair in his 14 games in the AL-C
Ross Detwiler 2020
16 games, 19.2 ip, 3.20 era, 3.90 fip
Rosenthal 2020 with Royals
14 games, 13.2 IP, 3.29 era, 3.78 fip
His contract is based off 9 games over a 3 year span. If he didn’t have them he’d likely get a few million max, as I said. Ross got 850k off producing similar to Rosenthal in the AL-C
An interesting wrinkle to this: Paul Blackburn has no options, but only Trivino and Kolarek have options in the current MLB bullpen. Blackburn is either getting traded, or one of those two will be in the minors.
Blackburn is lousy and seldom used. poster boy for fringe depth guy
Blackburn is not good.
Bye-bye blackbird. Although, actually, sending Lou to the minors is a good idea. Let him find his consistency as a backend/closer in AAA…
I’m seriously surprised that the Mets didn’t dish out the cash necessary to sign him to at least a 1 year deal. They need a talented reliever for closer and they haven’t gotten one
What was I reading earlier today about these deals being for less money than a few years ago? $11 million? Wow.
He probably was given more for accepting a 1 yr deal. He can go into free agency again next yr and get multiple years with another solid performance.
@DTD I think that’s spot on. AAV would have been lower on a 2 year deal (I would guess like ~8 or 9 per year) so he took the most possible on a 1 year deal and is betting on himself that he can get something more long term next year.
Great signing by them, was hoping Atlanta would sign him to round out their bullpen.
Once Hendriks split, I wondered if Rosenthal was seen as a potentially more affordable replacement. But this is still a bit surprising because I thought he would have gotten a 3-year deal.
I saw Seattle as a more likely landing spot (before the offseason started) as they seemed poised to invest in relievers for the future. A 3-year deal would have made sense. Instead, they got Giles, who won’t be pitching this year, but, interestingly enough, Jerry suggested could be around for 2-3 years. That suggests he wasn’t brought in to be a trade chip and that there’s either an option for 2023, or interest in an extension.
But it’s good to see Oakland not completely cheaping out on 2021. I still think it was a mistake letting Semien walk, but I think they’re still the team to beat in the AL West.
Semien was not a perennial all-star – 2019 may have been an outlier season, and Khris Davis was SOOOOOO bad that I actually prefer Moreland, Andrus, and Lowrie over Semien and Davis
You’d prefer a rapidly declining player in a starting role and a 36-year-old who’s been banged up & hasn’t played for two years over a player who was beloved by his teammates, offers stellar defense and has had success more recently at the plate? Worth noting, he had a solid second half in 2018 as well.
Moreland was a good signing, but there would have been room for him financially and on the roster regardless, and it’s feasible that they could have made that trade to offset salary and use Andrus in a utility role instead.
I am waiting for your reply to my comment on this above…
Yes I’d personally rather have Moreland, Lowrie, and Andrus over KD and Semien. KD is THAT bad. I think he will be out of baseball in 2 years. Why do you guys care so much about my opinion? Time will certainly tell. What if Moreland hits .270 with 25 HR with a full-time DH job? And Lowrie is healthy and hits .270 with 45 doubles again? They got to play the games, but KD has looked SOOOOOOOOOOO bad the last 2 years (I watch almost every game I’m a huge fan), that I’m thrilled he’s gone.
How much did the A’s spend on like 0.9 WAR from a combo of Semien and KD last year? Around 22M I’m guessing? If KD wasn’t making 16-17M I would feel differently, but he was holding the A’s back making all that money
Andrus also had a dreadful 2020, but at least he plays a great SS, which is actually useful, even if he is hidden in the 9 hole
You’re asking why I care, yet you’re the one who responded to my comment.
Brilliant.
You apparently didn’t read my previous response, either.
Moreland has no room on Oakland if they don’t make the Davis-Andrus trade. Opening the DH spot adds some flexibility they would not have by keeping Davis.
As for Semien, the A’s weren’t comfortable handing him a multi-year deal. Jays swooped in with the massive overpay for one season. A’s weren’t going to hand Semien that kind of money for one year.
“Brilliant” – are you serious? Dude, we are not in court, this is a stupid baseball thread, be nice, sheez this is supposed to be fun
Stevil has never met fun. Or a sound baseball take. You’ll soon see.
Mets have interest in *player*= Player signs with another team.
Must be some serious money balling going on.
It is. Money all was always about getting undervalued assets. Today the pen is the most undervalued asset in baseball. Smart teams are ahead of the game.
Although investing 15 mill in bullpenwhen A’s have been penny pinching all offseason. Personally, I like what giants did with their bullpen, lots of bargains in McGee, wisler, tropeano. I would’ve been content with those signings and use bigger chunk of money to fix middle infield
The more I think of this deal, I think for those teams that already have closers (ie Angels), $11M is a lot for a setup man.
For some reason this reminds me a bit of a reliever version of Matt Harvey…once great, got hurt, rebounded to up and down results, capped off rebound with a solid end of the year performance. Boras leverages that slice of performance into a $11M one year contract.
…
Hopefully Rosenthal fares better than Harvey…
Rosenthal has only pitched 15 bad innings out of 379 total, why you so focussed on that? He’s never been anything like Harvey. He looked back to normal last year after getting right after surgery. Sometimes TJ takes a long time to recover from, and he threw 15 innings in 2019 when he should have stayed home.
Think the A’s got the West.
Astros are not what they once were, Mariners are getting better, but still a few seasons away, and the Angels prove time and time again that they are pretenders and not serious
A’s pitching top to bottom obliterates the whole ALW. Defense is arguably best in div. Offense is on par with Houston’s and is full of young stars who get better every year: Sean Murphy might be their #3 hitter in a year or two and is already pretty good, stuff like that is why it’s clear that the A’s are huge frontrunners now, especially after getting a legit closer to replace Hendriks.
And the Angels are paying a little over a million for their setup man and he was claimed on waivers. You get what you pay for.
Yet another player the Mets wanted but could not sign. Think they regret signing a backup outfielder instead of Justin Wilson now?
Oakland making a statement to the division. A little pricy but I understand it.
AL West is wide open. Oakland should be the favourite but it’s not clear cut. Angels have to hit their way there and Houston is relying on their young arms stepping up. Wide open.
i give the a’s credit for upgrading the pen which is one of the most important part of the game when the starters usually don’t last past 6th inning.
Guest. The Angels starting pitching has the potential to somewhat solid and average almost six innings a start….can you tell me where they are going to get the other 3+ innings.? They are relying on five guys who are all lucky if they pitch just south of mediocre. They are going to go into every game with a huge disadvantage once that sixth inning starts. It’s an incredibly hard way to win.
If Perry thinks this bullpen is likely to handle it, he’s an idiot. He’s betting on veteran bullpen arms having career years. Who in their right mind bets on that. It’s not like these are young phenoms. The youngest of the bunch is 28.
Halo, I’ll be glass half full for you.
I’ve seen years in Toronto where, on-paper, the bullpen was considered to be a problem heading into a season. Suddenly the bullpen becomes the strength. Could it happen in Anaheim? Sure, why not? Of course convention wisdom suggests not.
I’m not suggesting the bullpen will be good. I’m suggesting the bullpen is one area where surprise tends to happen. I also don’t consider the AL West to be strong. Take the first month out from 2020, Angels contend. Their 2020 start was awful. Perhaps they pickup where they left off along with their new pieces.
Guest, it could work but you don’t bet on it. Other than Iglesias, I would not bet on any current Angel RP on being better than mediocre. No one would. Well, no one with a brain would. Sure one or two might be good, and they’ll figure it out in May after they have blown five games. Which is what the Angels did last year and the ten years before that. They figure it out after they fall well below 500.
I’m not a pessimist. I would bet individually that Canning; Ohtani, Heaney and Bundy will be better than mediocre. They all won’t be, but individually I’d bet on them. Their best arm in the pen is a rule 5 guy.
It’s just dumb.
Halo, you are probably right. Normally I’d say the same thing I said a year ago about the Angels. But with Houston’s step back I wonder if the Angels can take advantage of what appears to be a division up for grabs.
I understand your frustration; it’s my frustration with the Blue Jays. Some parallels there as both teams needed to address pitching and the results (for now) is questionable.
Why the A’s aren’t acquiring the best 2B they can, when they have plenty of good tradeable assets, is really weird and as of this second, really dumb. Maybe it will happen soon?
making a statement is a bit much, no? They’ve made lateral moves. Moreland for Davis, Rosenthal for Hendricks, Romo for Soria, and Petit was already there. The only real piece they’ve added is Kolarek, is that a game changer?
A bit much? No. A’s overpaid Rosenthal, and that is out of character for them. That’s the statement. That and the AL West is meh.
2nd Padre cast off the A’s signed today
@NY_Yankee- tired of hearing how much $ the Mets have and how everyone wants to play for them. They’ll always be 2nd fiddle to the Yankees. When the Yankees want someone they get him. (Gerrit Cole) If they wanted Bauer or Springer they could of landed them also. They didn’t want these players. Plain and simple.
yankees have no money to sign these players.
They have the money, they just chose not to go after them. Especially Giving Bauer more then Cole ( when those two have a bad history) would not have been a good idea.
@Vizionaire- seriously nothing can be so far from the truth. The Yankees have more $ then anyone else. They just don’t want to go over the luxury tax this season. I don’t want a salary cap in baseball. It would be best to stay under the luxury tax for everybody.
they don’t want to go over the LT because somehow one of the richest organizations in all of sports are crying poor like a lot of other clubs. face it Yankees spend but not like they used to. they shelled out over 300 million for one pitcher last year and almost 100 mill for a almost 34 year old this year and “bolstered” their rotation with one 35 year old coming off back to back injured seasons and another coming off tj
if they were the old yankees they would of been buyers for baurer or any other major free agent. those are the extent of their moves not very Yankee like
You are exactly right. Unless a guy does not want the Yankees due to an issue like facial hair, they will not lose a player to the Mets. Even guys that were Met icons like Strawberry, Gooden ( no hitter) and Cone ( Perfect Game) had success in The Bronx after leaving Flushing.
@WereAllJustQuestsHere- I have the A’s winning the AL West this season. It remains to be seen if the Stro’s can get a Wild Card. Hopefully the A’s win the division because they don’t cheat to win.
you know for real?
Trevor Rosenthal has been on my radar returning from TJ after a terrible 2018. Was a terrible job by the industry over the last pre-season not to talk about him over Ian Kennedy and Greg Holland. It was very clear from Spring training and then again in Summer training that he had most of his control back with his excellent velocity.
The Athletics are getting a top-5 closer to replace a top-5 closer. Very happy for him, and considering how beneficial it is to play in the Coliseum I really like him for 2021. He may not stay in Oakland long term, but he will definitely get a good opportunity to build his stock as one of the elite closers.
Mets are sleep walking right now. they are not close to finished on their roster yet it seems like every person they are interested in are slipping through their fingers.
@trade. Remember, agents regularly ‘use’ other teams to drive up the price. There is a good chance Rosenthal wanted to return to Oakland no matter what. We don’t know what the Mets privately offered. It may have been the same or even more, but if he wanted to stay in the west coast, that’s where he was going to go.
Mets fans thought it would be easy to attract players now that they have the richest owner in baseball. It won’t. Cohen’s wealth is now secret to players and agents, who are fully aware of his riches and won’t allow him to drive the market down. If Cohen wants top players, he will have to put his money where his mouth is. In fact, he may have to pay more than other teams because of his wealth.
Next winter will be interesting for the Mets. Lindor. Conforto, Syndergaard, and Stroman will all be free agents. There is also the possibility that deGrom opts out. And let’s not forget that Cano hops back onto the books for three more years. Managing payroll will be a challenge, even as the Mets try to exercise fiscal responsibility.
As the new kid on the block, Cohen is being trained by players and agents to not be selfish with his toys. In regard to his pending free agents, they should all ride it out unless Uncle Steve is exceedingly fair in extending them. These players know what the market is and will not settle for less, nor should they.
The Collesium is a great place for a pitcher to put up strong numbers and increase their market value.
as long as they use earplugs for their noses.
Why?
Boras seeks a 4 year deal and settles for 1. This seems to be more of a trend for his clients lately. Teams may finally be wising up and not allowing Boras to dictate or bully his clients into big deals.
To be fair to Boras ( and I do not like him), look at his record in 2019-2020. Over $1,000,000,000 in contracts completed. He is still excellent at what he does
No, this just an odd year and he’s rolling with it. Teams are leery of shelling out multi-year deals except for top guys and the money is just not there like in years past. Plus, there’s the uncertainty of the next CBA that is making teams hesitant. Once Covid is under control, the money and longer offers will come back.
What trend? Boras’ clients signed for a sum total of more than $1 billion in the winter of 2019-20, These signings included massive deals for Gerritt, Cole, Stephen Strasburg, and Anthony Rendon and pricey, multi-year contracts for Matt Moustakas, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Dallas Keuchel. Cole’s deal set a record for pitchers. The previous winter, Boras negotiated a then-record contract for Bryce Harper.
So, the opposite of what you claim is true: Boras doesn’t allow owners to bully his clients into taking small deals when the money is clearly there for larger ones. I’ll never understand people like you who root for billionaire owners to defeat the players who are enabling those owners to make money hand over fist. It’s illogical and suggests you’re jealous of the players for being paid market value for their talents. Don’t make stuff up to support a false narrative.
Look at the top 20 contracts of all time. For those where the story has been told. I think two worked out. It is not players against owners, it’s value against contract. Americans actually like employees earning their salaries. It’s why most of us have an issue with owners screwing young players and most of us have an issue with these absurd contracts.
Most of these contracts pay for themselves in their first few years. Many Americans are jealous of people who have a dream and work hard to achieve it. These players didn’t get where they are by being lazy. They didn’t settle, unlike too many people in the workplace. This is also true of actors, musicians, and other entertainers. Most college graduates, myself included, don’t work nearly as hard as someone like LeBron James. Those people who spent high school; hiding in the bathroom or looking out the window also don’t.
Then why are they traded?. I think very few of those contracts pay for themselves. But regardless, I think most of us like win-win transactions. Which is basically the definition of capitalism. We don’t like unbalanced transactions.
If the contracts don’t pay for themselves, then why are they getting bigger, and why are owners shelling out for them? Team owners are not in the business to lose money. The best ones understand the adage that you have to spend money to make money. Owners are making a fortune off these deals. It’s not just about the players’ contracts, but how those contracts spin off into other areas. These contracts are an investment for these teams, not a waste of money. Nobody is forcing owners to pay up. They’re doing it because it benefits them. The ongoing battle between owners and players is understandable in a sense. It is a huge financial pie and both sides want their fairest share. The Phillies cried poverty and two months later signed Realmuto to a record contract for catchers. Btw, Bryce Harper’s deal is a godsend for the Phillies franchise, pandemic notwithstanding. It will fully pay for itself in another three or four years,
The point is you think they are fair and others think they are stupid. pujols WAR with the Angels is 14 and he’s getting pains 250 million dollars. Most people don’t think that’s a win-win.
Since when has annual salary amount supposed to = elite baseball production??? You made that up in your head, so many have, for no reason do you think this. The game is set up this way: underpaid at start, overpaid at end, to even out the overall $ value to the game as close as possible. Why do you believe its “underpaid for early career then I will hate you if you don’t put up elite numbers every year even though you are in physical decline and no one important really expects that anyway.”
Why are you like this? Who told you this was reality? It’s not!
Only Fielder and Pujols had bad deals, the others worked out fine, stop having insanely high standards!
The others did not work out fine. If we can’t agree on that we simply can’t agree on this.
Contracts do not “pay for themselves”, Owners make their money in the equity they accrue through the franchise’s increase in value.
Look at what David Glass paid for the Royals and what the recent sale price. Look at what Wilpon and his investment group paid for the Mets and their recent sale price.
Odd that Rosenthal signs for $11m, and Melancon signs for $2.25m
Melancon needs a better agent.
The report was that Melancon deliberately chose SD even though it was his lowest offer because he wanted to play for a competitor.
I don’t know how that’s on the agent, it seems like he got Melancon better offers, Melancon just rejected them, In FA at the end of the day it’s the player’s call where they sign.
MM actually got 3.25 guaranteed and up to 5 w incentives- Dudes made a ton of money….Id eschew a couple bucks to retire in SD on a contender 8 days a week
I’m betting Melancon took the low money to play on a team that is for sure trying to win a World Series.
solid pickup, but how the heck are we crowing the A’s already for the west? All they have done is make lateral moves, while losing important pieces.
Both middle infielders are gone and replaced with Andrus and ?????
Replace Hendricks with Rosenthal (lateral move, potentially worse)
Replace Soria with Romo (meh)
Only move they really made that makes them better from last year is Kolarek, and that’s not too significant.
I’m not saying the A’s won’t be a good team, but the “sneaky good offseason” is really just a bunch of lateral moves.
And lateral moves still make them the best team in west at least on paper. Remember, all of their hitters last year underperformed other than Murphy, grossman. The big uncertainty is their rotation options among younger pitchers all have injury history
As previously stated, I’m not saying the A’s aren’t going to be good. My only point is people are crowning this off-season as sneaky good, when they really havnt done anything, and arguably gotten worse
No ones crowning. As a fan myself, this offseason of inactivity up until 2 weeks ago was terrible. Up till that point all they added was rule 5 picks, andtrades for fringe pitchers that weren’t even good enough to stick on the pirates and Phillies lousy bullpens. Then saw semien, hendriks, la stella, soria etc sign with new teams with in a small time period. Yes adding 35 yr old Moreland, expensive rosenthal, Jed lowrie who hasn’t been healthy since 2018, andrus who was injured last year, and a couple old relievers is no guarantee but at the very least it buys time for their young pitchers and hitters w/ a currently solid roster. I think at the very least they are a top 2 west team, unless angels surprise or mariners timeline moves up by a couple seasons
They won 97 games and didn’t look even close to peaking yet, they looked terrible at times, signs of young players getting their first real cognizant taste of the playoffs, with their first series win since 2006 (lol). Sure they lost Semien and Hendriks (who both dominated in that first “successful” playoffs they’ve had since 2006), but Rosenthal was a back to his normal beastly ways totally in line with if not better than his career totals and the 5 guys they paid $18M to instead of giving it to Semien and 4 prospects was always the better move.
Defensively Chapman and Olson are better than any other pair in the ALW, Murphy and Laureano are also elite. 4 potential gold glovers out there, everyone else is solid to pretty good. A’s, Mariners and Angels all have pretty good defenses which leads to pitching, and the A’s have them all soundly beat, even the overrated and Verlander-less Astros. Offense: Laureano-Canha-Chapman-Olson-Murphy-Moreland-Piscotty-Pinder/Kemp-Andrus is the everyday lineup currently, Astros, Angels and A’s all close there, so, based off all those breakdowns, the overall best team in the AL West is Oakland.
Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk.
Spot on!
I’m excited to see what Mitch Moreland does with 550 AB’s. It has been downright depressing to see Khris Davis struggle so much the past 2 years, wishing him the best but he has been hard to watch. I’m curious what you all think Moreland will do as the full-time DH?
BREAKING NEWS: Mets to extend Bobby Bonilla.
Very surprised the A’s won the bidding war here.
Scott Boras works hard for his clients and doesn’t take any crap when negotiating. Funny how this one worked out: the richest owner in baseball loses out to a notorious penny pincher. Welcome to Major League Baseball, Steve Cohen. Enjoy those free-agent negotiations with four of your key players next winter.
Too much for Rosenthal. I was thinking more like 5-6 million considering his 2 seasons before 2020.
After the Tatis deal, Padres fans are the last ones who should be complaining. Both of these deals by smaller market franchises are good for the game. Multi-year or short-term, these kinds of contracts are affordable for all franchises.
For a little more than they were going to pay Davis they got Rosenthal, Romo, Petit, and Moreland. Not only did they replace Davis (though Mitch does not have anywhere close to the power potential Khris has) they also built a nice back end of the bullpen. With the Astros practically sitting on their hands all winter the A’s must be favorites to win the AL West
Smart short-term deals prove that every franchise can compete if they want to. It’s funny to see some posters accusing the Oakland Athletics of spending recklessly to sign Rosental, though it appears those peop[e are just upset because their team didn’t sign him. I thought Moreland was a nice pickup for San Diego last year even though it didn’t work out. Good value on that deal for Oakland. And the best Houston can do now is maybe replace George Springer with Jackie Bradley Jr.
I would of loved the Angels taking a flier on him at maybe a third of the price.
he ain’t signing for 4 mill though. The angels are paying Iglesias 9 mill, factor in rosenthal’s deferred money and 2021 contracts probably not much different
Angels are paying Iggy 8m. The Reds are covering some. And as far as Rosenthal, he could of been had at 6/7m fairly easy, in a few weeks when he, and his agent panic on spring training nearly ending. I truely believe there weren’t any teams out there that wanted to gamble on him at 10+m. Well, I guess there’s one, and the one is normally wiser than this.
I actually like JBJ for the Astros. Gold Glove defense and with some of the other players in their lineup wouldn’t have to be a big bat. On a one year deal Houston could do worse
Surprise by the A’s signing him, not surprised by how long it took at that price. A team finally caved in, once again, didn’t expect it to be the A’s.
Wow 11 million for him, I’m glad the Mets didn’t sign him than.
@jvent loser denial
Surprised to see Oakland shell out 11 mil to a reliever, or a player in general. That being said, I’m sure much of that money is deferred. I think it’s a lot to spend on a reliever with a lot to prove. Rosenthal obviously has quite the track record but after Tommy John had a dismal 2019. His 2020 was excellent but anybody could be really good over a 60 game stretch. I think that this deal is rather expensive for a guy like him but could potentially pan out really well if he can prove he’s ready to bounceback and that 2020 wasn’t just a fluke.
So you’re more scared of his 15 IP 2019 than the other 349 IP over the rest of his career, which have always featured one or both of a great ERA and/or FIP every season? Sound analysis /eyeroll
All I’m saying is that he’s not going to automatically be the same pitcher he was after Tommy John. It’s never a sure thing. As good as his 2020 was, it isn’t proof enough to me or many GMs(which is why he was unable to get the multi-year deal he wanted) that he is back to his usual light-out stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good pitcher and will bounce back showing he has fully recovered, I’m just surprised that any organization, especially with Covid, ESPECIALLY Oakland, would shell out that kind of money for a pitcher where there really aren’t any guarantees. I would have expected a less expensive one-year pact for him to prove he’s healthy and still dominant and then the next off-season he would have received a longer, more lucrative contract. I just think that the A’s are making quite the gamble here, but a gamble that I do think can and probably will pay off. If you expected him to get this kind of money just because of his years before Tommy John and a meaningless 60 game season, you’re an imbecile or at least not in tune to the way a front office operates/thinks.
A’s spending any money on anything!?!
Did they get that small business stimulus money or something?
So in the end, it was one of either:
– Marcus Semien and internal options
or
-Rosenthal, Moreland, Petit, Romo, Andrus
A’s now on the clock to trade Dustin Fowler (or give Ka’ai Tom back), same with Paul Blackburn (or give Dany Jimenez back) – or do all those things and acquire more players.
Only Pinder, Garcia, Trivino and Kolarek have options and Puk is apparently looking great so far in camp. One has to go (or Puk could be kept down for….reasons) and Garcia can only be swapped out for a C. We know Beane loves trades, and 2B isn’t looking great, so:
Fowler, Blackburn, Kemp plus ??? for a regular 25-man piece?
Frankie Montas and Daulton Jefferies+ for Adames needs how much more from Oakland?
I love Montas, I think they would be selling low if they traded him now
Padres fans are sad he’s not returning because he really connected with the fan base on Twitter last season, even though it was so short. But no one would have wanted to dish out the $11m
Hmm, Rosenthal gets 11mn while Melancon gets 3mn.
Very very very troubling they have to break 11 mill down into 3 payments here
Cheap billionaire antics lol, he donates to Republican Party and has an extensive art collection his main priorities. And his GAP company inherited from his parents produces cheap, generic clothes
to be fair, there are 30 majority owners in baseball and most of them dont do things like this
The As had to use some coupons and then finance at no interest for 3 years lol
So it’s really a 1 year 3mil deal.
No it’s 11m, just less money to play with in the future. 3m+3m+5m the next 3 years.
A’s like there 2m flier deals on a bunch of players. This 11m flier is out of character. This so should of been like the Melancon deal, 3m w/ incentives for more.
Hate the structure of the deal but like the signing.
the deferrals though
What a joke Oakland has become. First they offer Semien $12.5M to be deferred until the next Haley’s Comet and now they go the Whimpy route with Rosenthal (I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a strikeout today). Meanwhile, they are trying to close a multi-billion dollar waterfront development deal to build a new stadium, shops and luxury condos. They could move PNC park out there and still not draw over 2M fans with the way they run that team. Billy Beane has done an incredible job with what he’s allowed to spend, but it’s embarrassing to see an iconic franchise run like a Dollar Store. Either spend the money you are hoarding or sell the team to someone who will. They’ve been close enough in the past decade where 1 or 2 key free agents or trade acquisitions could have been enough. Instead they get in the playoffs then sell off their players the next year.
Gotta agree with you! Truly a iconic franchise very sad to see it run like this and the saddest part is MLB allows this to freakin go on!
If the A’s had a huge payroll, I’d be pissed about Semien leaving, but with a small payroll, I don’t know if I want 19M (25% of the entire payroll?) used on him. I’m OK with the moves, esp with a limited number of fans and taking a loss last year financially, it sucks but I get it
As a Cardinals fan I will say to A’s fans…This guy is going to drive you crazy! He will strike out one, walk two, start nibbling corners with breaking pitches when he has 102 mph gas!Best of luck ! He usually barely gets out of it!
You just described Grant Balfour when he was the A’s closer. Nothing was ever easy but he usually got the job done.
So is he pitching in Oakland for one year or three?
One, but seems they stretched the payment over three seasons.
It’s gonna be weird not having the A’s closer do the post-game interviews in an Aussie accent after Liam and Grant…
Should’ve paid him $500k a year for 22 years to save money.
Wow! I used to joke about how the Nationals would be the only team who would try to defer money on a 1 year contract.
I get the deferrals are odd but it takes two to negotiate. Obviously Rosenthal and his agent were ok with the deferrals because they agreed to them.