A's outright two players at start of offseason

Jason Burke | Nov 1, 2024

Jul 10, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Austin Adams (29) reacts during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

In addition to losing Daz Cameron in the trade to the Baltimore Orioles and Tristan Gray to the Pittsburgh Pirates on a waiver claim, the A's also decided to outright right-hander Austin Adams and utility-man Armando Alvarez off the roster and send them to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Alvarez made his MLB debut in 2024 after eight years in the minors, and did a decent job of filling in for the A's, batting .243 with a .282 OBP with a 63 OPS+. It's tough to see a clear path back to the A's 26-man roster for Alvarez, barring injury. The team already has Max Schuemann on the roster, and he figures to reprise his utility role in 2025. Plus they kept CJ Alexander on the 40-man, and he could be due a look this spring.

As for Adams, he was quite a character on the mound and in the clubhouse. The A's purchased his contract from the New York Mets during the lead-up to the regular season, with the righty showing up just in time for the A's and Giants spring matchup at the Oakland Coliseum.

Heading into 2024, the numbers seemed to suggest that he had gotten a little unlucky in the time he received with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, posting a 5.71 ERA with a 3.72 FIP in 17 1/3 innings. This year with the A's, he was a regular member of the bullpen mix, totaling 41 1/3 innings with a 3.92 ERA (4.47 FIP).

Adams is one of the few A's players that is arbitration eligible, and MLB Trade Rumors projected him for a salary of $1.7 million in 2025. While he was an important piece for the A's at times, it did seem as though the club found another couple of solid relief arms down the stretch that will likely slot into the 'pen in 2025 in Grant Holman, Tyler Ferguson and Michel Otañez.

It should also be noted that Michael Kelly is still with the organization, though suspended, and if he returns pitching like he was in the first couple of months of the season, then the A's bullpen could have some real upside. In 31 1/3 innings through June 1, Kelly posted a 2.59 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP, with five of his 28 appearances being at least two innings, and another four covering a total of five outs. That kind of production is huge in piecing together victories.

Adams was a solid pitcher for the A's in 2024, but they are looking at some of the other, less costly options they have available to them in-house and thinking they may be ok. Adams also missed the final six weeks of the season with right forearm tendinitis. Since he has over three years of MLB service time and has been previously outrighted in his career, Adams has the option to elect free agency.

With the flurry of moves the A's made on Thursday, the roster now sits at 36, which leaves them a little room to add a number of ranked prospects in their system to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.