A's Need to Add This L.A. Dodgers, Boston Red Sox World Series Winner
The Athletics roster had seemed pretty set with their roster until they made some additions around the edges, bringing in Elvis Alvarado on a waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and trading for Jhonny Pereda from the Miami Marlins. Could there be room for one more addition to the roster?
The specific addition we're talking about is Ryan Brasier of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who was recently designated for assignment. The 37-year-old right-hander has been a member of two World Series championships, last year with the Dodgers, and in 2018 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers added Kirby Yates to the roster on Thursday, and had to push Brasier, who had a 1.89 ERA across 66.2 innings in a season and a half with Los Angeles, off the 40-man. That team is going to be stacked, but this is the kind of move a team like the A's can take advantage of.
The Dodgers are still able to trade Brasier, which is the likely scenario given his recent history pitching out of the bullpen, so it would behoove the Athletics to dangle some small piece in order to grab Brasier before he hits the waiver wire.
The A's held the fifth-worst record in MLB last season at 69-93, so they'd be one of the first teams to have a chance to claim him, but only if the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, and Angels all pass.
One of those teams may be willing to add his $4.5 million salary for 2025, and the Angels seem like the most likely candidate to do so.
Over the course of his career, Brasier holds a 3.85 ERA (3.58 FIP) with a 1.153 WHIP. The one issue has been that he's not going to be a guy that collects a ton of innings for his team, with the 62.1 he put up in 2022 with Boston being his highest innings total. This past year, Brasier racked up just 28 innings pitched while dealing with a calf strain, with another nine in the postseason.
His career track record of being an effective reliever, paired with his deep postseason runs with the Dodgers and Red Sox are two factors that would make him a great fit for the A's. Well, those and his relatively inexpensive contract.
The A's are a young team, and guys like Mason Miller, Tyler Ferguson, and Michel Otañez could learn a bit from having not just one (José Leclerc) but two World Series champions in their bullpen.
With this addition, the A's would have a bullpen of Brasier, Leclerc, and Miller in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, with two more solid options in Otañez and Ferguson also in the mix for those innings when needed. T.J. McFarland would be another solid veteran presence for the club, with Rule 5 draftee Noah Murdock and whomever the long-man ends up being rounding out the bullpen.
In this scenario, Grant Holman would likely be the odd-man out to begin the season, but he'd be the first one called upon if an injury occurred.
If the A's are serious about trying to compete in 2025, this is the type of move that would make a lot of sense for them to execute. Brasier is affordable and lengthens the bullpen, and his addition would likely give the A's a top-ten 'pen in all of MLB. It also gives Ferguson and Otañez some room to grow in their sophomore seasons while also giving them another source to learn from.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.