Former Houston Astro elects free agency

Jason Burke | Oct 16, 2024

Jul 19, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Brandon Bielak (64) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros designated right-hander Brandon Bielak for assignment on May 11, and he was picked up by the Oakland A's not too long after, with the Athletics needing fresh arms pretty regularly at that point in the campaign. Bielak ended the year in the minors for Oakland, and on Tuesday he elected free agency.

Bielak, 28, was originally selected by Houston in the 11th round of the 2017 Draft and made his big-league debut in 2020 with the club. He spent parts of five seasons with the Astros, going 11-13 across 191 2/3 innings with a 4.65 ERA as both a starter and a reliever. Of his 70 appearances, 21 of them were as a starter.

With Oakland, Bielak ate up some innings out of the bullpen in May before being DFA'd by the A's at the end of the month. In those 5 2/3 innings, he allowed just two earned runs in relief. When he cleared waivers, he was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas where he also started 13 games, holding a 6.08 ERA. He'd return to Oakland for a few more appearances in September.

While there isn't a ton of red on his Baseball Savant page from this season in the bigs, the one pitch that he possesses that should land him another shot somewhere is his changeup, which has always been solid. He also had the makings of an improved slider this season, but with his sinker and his four-seam sitting right about 92 and his changeup also being fairly firm at 87.4, there just isn't a ton of separation between the pitches, which makes finding consistent success difficult.

Bielak will find a job with a team looking for depth, likely on a minor-league deal. Yet, if he is able to find the right spot and a staff that can work with him to create a little more separation between his offerings, then Bielak could be back in the big leagues and finding success yet again.