Who Can Fill The A's Vacancy at Left-Handed Pitcher?

The A's certainly have a few positions they could look into upgrading. The need for a left-handed bullpen arm is one of them. Let's look at some of the A's possible options to fill this vacancy.

Sep 8, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Scott Alexander (54) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The A's pitching staff has certainly undergone some positive changes this off-season. It started with the franchise record signing of Luis Severino, and the team followed that up with trading for Jeffrey Springs from the Rays. Both Severino and Springs should be big arms in the rotation in 2025 and could help the A's sneak up on some teams this year.

Although the team has added to the rotation, they haven't necessarily made too many moves to their bullpen.

To open up free agency, the A's brought back T.J. McFarland on a one-year contract, which was one of Kotsay's go-to guys out of the bullpen last season. McFarland is possibly the only lefty bullpen arm on the 40-man roster that will make the Opening Day Roster. The team currently has lefties Brady Basso and Hogan Harris slotted in the bullpen over at Roster Resource, though both pitchers are considered long relief options if not full fledged starters.

Sep 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Scott Alexander (54) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

One of the more likely options for the club could be bringing back veteran Scott Alexander. After a shaky year with the Giants in 2023, the 2024 season was certainly a bounceback year for the left-hander. He posted a 2.56 ERA in 38 2/3 innings with the A's this past season, and was a good late-inning option.

Although he didn't pitch as many innings as McFarland did, Kotsay saved Alexander for the tougher outings, and clearly, Alexander did not disappoint. It would be big for the A's bullpen to bring back Alexander, as he is not only a good left-hander, but also a guy familiar with the team and the players from last season.

Not that this will impact Alexander's decision to rejoin the team for the 2025 season, but the A's signed his brother, Jason Alexander, to a minor league deal earlier this off-season. MLB.com's Martín Gallegos did mention Jason Alexander as a possible option for the A's rotation at some point in the 2025 season. Maybe with his brother Jason in the organization, it could be a reason for Scott Alexander to rejoin the A's for this upcoming season.

The A's could also decide to go for more of a long shot and look to sign veteran Tim Hill. Hill is coming off a dominant second half where he spent time with the New York Yankees. With the Yankees, he pitched 44 innings and posted a 2.05 ERA. Hill's arm slot makes him especially tough for hitters to go up against, and even at age 34, he looked incredible in New York.

Tim Hill spent the first half of 2024 in Chicago pitching for the White Sox, where he struggled, posting a 5.87 ERA in 23 innings, which prompted the Sox to release him, and he ended up signing a minor league pact with the Yankees just two days after.

The strong second half and playoff run for Tim Hill should get him a nice salary for 2025. It could be a long shot for the A's to land Hill, but if they offer him enough money, he could be a huge piece for the 2025 bullpen.

Another interesting option for the A's could be adding Ryan Yarbrough. The 33-year-old has played on a few different clubs in his seven-year career including the Tampa Bay Rays for five of them, and also spent the rest of his time with the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

After a mediocre start to his 2024 campaign with the Dodgers, he was sent to Toronto in the deal that made Kevin Kiermaier a Los Angeles Dodger. Like Tim Hill, Yarbrough turned his season around in the second half. In just over 31 innings with Toronto, Yarbrough pitched to a 2.01 ERA and did a much better job at limiting the long ball.

Also similarly to Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough pitches from a low arm slot. Yarbrough's 13-degree arm slot is in the Top 5 lowest in Major League Baseball, and Tim Hill is also in the Top 5 working from a 20-degree arm slot. The A's should consider adding one of those veteran arms after dominating in the second half of the 2024 season.

The A's community has recently been intrigued by the idea of acquiring Jordan Montgomery from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The A's rotation looks pretty solid as it currently is, but adding someone with a high ceiling like Montgomery makes a lot of sense.

However, the addition of Montgomery won't necessarily fill the vacancy in the bullpen. Although the D-Backs moved Montgomery to the bullpen towards the end of 2024, it is very unlikely that he would pitch out of the bullpen for the A's given the $22.5 million he's owed this season.

One final route the A's could go to fill the bullpen vacancy is an in-house option. As mentioned, McFarland is the only lefty bullpen arm on the 40-man roster right now that will likely make the Opening Day Roster. However, this off-season the A's signed Matt Krook to a minor league deal. If Krook is able to pitch well in Spring Training, and the team doesn't bring in any more left-handers, there's certainly a chance he'd make the roster.

In terms of other in-house options, the 40-man roster currently has Brady Basso, Hogan Harris, and Jacob Lopez, the latter also being part of the deal that brought Springs to the A's. However, the team seems to view all three of them as starting pitchers.

Unless the team shifts one of them to the bullpen, it is likely the only in-house options would be someone that is not currently on the 40-man roster.

In all likelihood, the A's will look to add a bullpen arm in free agency rather than someone currently in the organization. With all of the options out there, it'll surely be interesting to see how David Forst and the team will go about filling this vacancy.