Former Atlanta Braves prospect could be non-tender candidate for A's

Jason Burke | Oct 28, 2024

Apr 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Kyle Muller (39) delivers a pitch during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images / James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The A's will have an interesting decision to make when it comes to what to do with former Atlanta Braves prospect Kyle Muller this winter. The 27-year-old was acquired by the A's as part of the Sean Murphy deal, and only he, Royber Salinas and Esteury Ruiz remain from that return. Both veteran backstop Manny Piña and right-hander Freddy Tarnok have already moved on.

Muller earned the Opening Day nod in his first season with the A's, firing a gem against the Angels. From there, the season was mostly downhill, as he finished with a 7.60 ERA across 77 innings in 21 games (13 starts). He entered the 2024 season out of options, which made it tricky for the 6-foot-7 lefty. He was at the same time a frontrunner for a roster spot, but could also be let go at any time.

Both of those options happened this season. Muller spent most of the year with the A's in Oakland, but in the middle of August he was DFA'd to make room for a returning Joe Boyle. He cleared waivers and ultimately made it back to the roster for the end of the season, but this scenario gave us a glimpse of where Muller sits on the 40-man, and opened up the possibility that he could be non-tendered next month, which would make him a free agent. From there, if he really wanted to stay in the organization, he could sign a minor-league deal with the A's, but that option would exist for every club, too.

Muller spent this year serving as the long-man out of the bullpen, holding a 4.01 ERA in 49 1/3 innings, and while his strikeout rate increased slightly from 15.1 to 17.8%, his walk rate dipped dramatically, going from 10.5% to an even five percent. His four-seamer had less vertical drop and less vertical break this season, which made it easier for him to command the pitch, and then have it set up the rest of his arsenal.

Given his improvement from year-to-year and the fact that the A's have already DFA'd him once, figuring out what the A's are going to do with Muller at the non-tender deadline is a little tricky. The answer for that specific deadline will likely be that he sticks with the team while they make cuts elsewhere, but if the A's are able to bring in some upgrades this winter either via trade or free agency, then Muller's name could be one that's called.

The reasoning here isn't because he couldn't be valuable for the club moving forward, but instead because he is out of options, limiting the amount of flexibility they have with the roster overall. If Muller makes it through the winter still on the A's 40-man roster, then that should be a decent-sized vote of confidence for the tall lefty heading into 2025.