A's non-tender righty reliever

Jason Burke | 4 Hours Ago

Aug 18, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Dany Jimenez (56) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the tenth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The A's decided to non-tender right-handed reliever Dany Jiménez at the non-tender deadline, which will leave the 30-year-old to hit the free agent market.

Jiménez came to the A's in 2022 with his only big-league time having come with the San Francisco Giants where he collected four outs before being DFA'd. The A's originally selected him in the Rule 5 Draft in December of 2020, but he was returned to the Toronto Blue Jays by mid-March. The righty ultimately signed a minor-league deal with the A's at the end of 2021, and became a late-inning reliever for the club in '22, collecting 11 saves.

The righty has been a solid, league-average relief pitcher in his three years with the A's, posting a cumulative 3.93 ERA, but the biggest worry with him is that his walk rate has gone up each year, starting at 12.4% and elevating to 16.2% this past season while posting a 4.91 ERA.

You could also throw in that Jiménez has spent a decent amount of time on the IL and hasn't been able to crack 30 MLB innings pitched in either of the past two seasons, and maxed out at 34 1/3 in 2022.

If you mix a concern about effectiveness with another about health, a non-tender makes sense here. He was estimated to make $1 million in the arbitration process in 2025, according to MLB Trade Rumors. The MLB minimum for 2025 is set to be $760,000, so his pay rate was going to be just above league minimum.

Now on the market, Jiménez could be an interesting pickup for a number of teams with hopes of contending in 2025. He's a fastball/slider guy that will mix in an occasional changeup. While he doesn't throw particularly hard, sitting around 92 mph with this four-seam, his slider has been effective each season he's been in the bigs. In '22 and '23 opponents his under .100 against the pitch. Put Jiménez on a new team with a few more tools to help him succeed, and he could be a solid relief option for a team like the Dodgers.

The Baltimore Orioles also make a decent amount of sense here, given that he has big league experience, has had success in the bigs, and will likely sign a minor-league deal this winter, making it so that he can be a weapon for them whenever they choose to deploy him. While he may not be a key member of their 'pen, he could certainly be a nice depth option, and they are a team that could use a few more options in the bullpen.

With this move, the A's roster now sits at 36.