The A’s signed right-handed reliever Gerardo Reyes to a minor league contract, per their transaction log at MLB.com. Presumably, he’ll be in big league camp this spring and vie for a spot in a wide-open bullpen mix.
Reyes, 30, has pitched 37 2/3 big league innings between the Padres and Angels, including 9 2/3 frames with the Halos this past season. He owns a career 7.41 ERA in that time but has averaged 96.7 mph on his heater and fanned 27% of his opponents. Walks (11.2%) and home runs (1.43 HR/9) have both been issues for the hard-throwing righty, but Reyes has a decent track record in a hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League (4.25 ERA, 30% strikeout rate). FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked him among the Angels’ top 30 prospects in 2021, writing that arm strength and fastball movement alone gave him a chance to be a big league reliever.
Oakland isn’t going to be a choice destination for many free agents with the team clearly focused more on its pending move to Las Vegas than actually building a competitive roster for the 2024 season. But for a live-armed reliever like Reyes, who’s had a couple decent Triple-A seasons and is looking for a shot at a role in the majors, the A’s probably hold some appeal. Oakland’s only three relievers with even two years of MLB service are Sean Newcomb, Zach Jackson and Dany Jimenez. There’s virtually no certainty in the Athletics’ relief corps right now, so if Reyes were to show well in spring training or early in the Triple-A campaign, there’d be little standing in his way to a shot in the big leagues.
The A’s are in total rebuilt right now… It’s a good opportunity for Reyes…
Even the A’s manage to acquire needed pitching.
A’s are at least behind a good leader in the most underrated player in baseball: Brent Rooker.
I’m not saying the A’s are going to be a good team, but they might be better than everyone thinks. If they get a couple good reliable bullpen pieces with Mason Miller as the closer, they MIGHT (emphasize on the might) even be a .500 team.
I know I’ll receive flak for this, so have at it.
Largest win improvement in MLB history was 29 games. IF the A’s were a 500 team it would mean a 32 win improvement YOY.
For the A’s to improve much will depend on how the other teams in the AL West fare. They still have to play 13 games against Seattle, Texas and Houston. there’s not expected to be much dropoff from those three teams. Angels might be the same or worse, depending on what they do in the offseason. The A’s are certainly not going to make a signing that will move the needle much.
So, the A’s signed “The Wild Thing”…. Will Charlie Sheen be his pitching coach for Major League IV?
75 wins
I can see the intrigue. That fastball is legit and when he’s on he’s money. If some coach can get him to be consistent they’ll have a stud.
If he’s as good as you say, why only a minor league contract on a team as bad as the A’s?
I predict Fisher sells within two years of the restriction MLB put on him. The A’s are nothing but an investment to him; no interest whatsoever in actually doing what it takes to field a decent ballclub.
Fisher is one bad day on the stock market away from being flat broke. And now I’m hearing there are rumors of lawsuits to stop the Las Vegas deal. I predict MLB will force Fisher to sell before 2025.
Because when he’s not on he’s absolutely horrible.
Last year I thought they couldn’t be worse than the previous year. This year I am holding no expectations that they can be better than this past season. Especially if these are the big splashy moves they’re making.
First, I like your username haha
Second, the A’s at least have some good prospects finally on the team like Gelof, Soderstrom, Butler, Miller. Trust me, the A’s will be better than last season.
Fingers crossed!
Angels let him get way he was cheep