Former Baltimore Orioles reliever signs with A's

Jason Burke | Nov 16, 2024

Sep 9, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Matt Krook (92) pitches in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Athletics have come to terms on a minor-league deal with left-handed relief pitcher Matt Krook, according to the MLB.com transactions page. He made an appearance for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, spanning one inning. After signing with the A's, he has since been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Krook, 30, hails from Hillsborough, Ca, which is south of San Francisco, in the San Mateo area. He was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, but after a year and a half with the Giants he was part of the package that was shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays in the Evan Longoria trade.

Krook spent three seasons in the Rays system before ultimately being placed on waivers in December of 2020, where he was snapped up by the New York Yankees. After two seasons in the minors for New York, he made his MLB debut on June 16, 2023, coming in out of the bullpen in Boston. He allowed five earned on four hits and a walk across 1 2/3 innings.

He ended up getting into four games with the Yankees that season, pitching a total of four innings, and held a 24.75 ERA. He absolutely crushed in the minors that season, posting a 1.32 ERA in 34 innings with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He struck out 55 batters in that span, leading to a career-high 39% strikeout rate, which is Mason Miller territory.

He also walked 18.4% of the batters he faced that season and held a 2.81 FIP, so there were some reasons to be a little wary. Still, the A's love a guy with good stuff and iffy control.

The Yankees traded Krook to the Baltimore Orioles for cash in February, and he got into one game at the end of June, giving up three runs (two earned) in one inning of work.

In the minors this season his strikeout rate dropped from 39% to 33.3%, while his walk rate remained high at 16.7%. He finished the year with a 3.92 ERA and a 4.49 FIP. Similar to the A's other recent signing, Jason Alexander, Krook boasts a high ground ball rate (53.1%), which could be a trait the Athletics are targeting this winter with home runs likely to be more frequent in Sacramento than they'd been at the Oakland Coliseum.

In his final outing of the season with the Norfolk TIdes on September 1, Krook utilized his 90-mile-per-hour sinker, an 88 mph cutter, and an 82 mph sweeper. In his inning with the Orioles, he also used one changeup according to Statcast. His pitches were also about a tick harder in 2024 than they'd been in 2023 with New York.

As for where he fits in with the A's, if he can get his command under control a little bit, he could end up being a legitimate piece of the bullpen in 2025. As things stand, they brought back T.J. McFarland, a solid veteran left-hander, but the only two other southpaws that are currently projected in the A's bullpen are starters Hogan Harris and Brado Basso. Each could certainly be utilized as long relief options, but that's not the same as someone that can go in for one key batter and get the much-needed ground ball double play.

Krook presents the Athletics with a left-handed option that could play a key role for the club.