A's add former Atlanta Braves prospect to 40-man roster

Jason Burke | Nov 19, 2024

Feb 23, 2018; Mesa, AZ, USA; A general view of a logo on the field prior to the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Athletics have added Ryan Cusick to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 deadline, the team announced this afternoon. Cuisck, 25, was part of the return in the Matt Olson trade with the Atlanta Braves, along with Shea Langeliers, Joey Estes, and Cristian Pache.

The way the Rule 5 Draft works is that teams are only allowed to stash prospects in their organization for a certain length of time, and that amount of time is determined like so: "Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons."

Cusick, drafted by Atlanta in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, is in his first year of eligibility for the Rule 5 Draft, and has now been protected by the A's, making him ineligible to be taken by another team during the draft next month.

Cucick spent most of his time in the minors in Double-A this past season, racking up 56 1/3 innings and posting a 4.47 ERA in 27 appearances (eight starts).

It seems as though the Athletics may have found a role for him moving forward out of the bullpen. After making nine starts through mid-July and holding a 6.82 ERA at the time, Cusick was moved to the arm barn and made 21 appearances spanning 30 1/3 innings and posted a 2.97 ERA. His command was slightly better, he was striking guys out at a slightly improved clip, and he didn't allow any home runs as a reliever after giving up four as a starter in similar innings totals.

The big test for Cusick in 2025 will be figuring out Triple-A, where he has struggled in very limited time. He made is Aviators debut in 2023 and started one game, lasting 2 2/3 innings and gave up five runs while walking seven.

This past season, the righty appeared in two games out of the bullpen. In the first, he went two innings and gave up four runs, and in the second he went 2 1/3 innings and gave up four runs, but only one of them was earned. So in his three appearances on the mound for the Aviators, big crooked numbers have crossed the plate. That has to be tough mentally as you're trying to prove to others, and to yourself, that you belong at that level.

In 2025 Cusick should get more of a chance to make an impact in Triple-A. If there is one thing that should help with any potential confidence woes, it would be that his organization sees something in him and just added him to the 40-man roster. That typically means that a player is in the team's plans moving forward.