San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Will free agency take heavy toll?
No unit was more consistent for the A’s than their bullpen in 2020.
It’s possible no unit will feature more significant changes in 2021.
Four members of the A’s relief corps are pending free agents, including Liam Hendriks, one of baseball’s best closers over the past two years.
As a result, the A’s, who do have a few key relievers remaining under team control, might need to largely reshape what was a primary strength this season.
2020 review: The A’s bullpen led the majors in ERA ( 2.72) and ranked second in opponents’ batting average (. 208) and OPS (. 616), a major reason for their records in games decided by one or two runs ( 1810) and in extra innings ( 61).
They were 270 when leading after seven innings due in large part to Hendriks, who converted 14 of 15 save chances with a 1.78 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 251⁄ innings.
But the setup crew was just as valuable, led by lefthander Jake Diekman, who did not allow a run until his 19th outing. Diekman finished with a 0.42 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .114 average ( 8for70) with one extrabase hit.
Diekman remains under contract for 2021. But righthanders Joakim Soria and Yusmeiro Petit do not. Soria, 36, posted a 2.82 ERA in 22 games and was the A’s closer when Hendriks was unavailable. Petit excelled again in a fireman role with a 1.66 ERA in a teamhigh 26 outings.
Petit often entered tense situations in the middle of an inning and stranded 13 of 18 inherited runners. J. B. Wendelken, though, actually led the majors in inherited runners; he allowed 8 of 24 to score but had a strong year with a 1.80 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 25 innings.
The A’s carried just two lefthanded relievers, Diekman and T. J. McFarland, in the first season of the threebatter minimum. McFarland had a 0.68 ERA through August but struggled in September, posting an 11.05 ERA in his final eight games. He too will be a free agent.
Lou Trivino, coming off a poor 2019 season, pitched his way into a bigger role in the second half and finished with a 3.86 ERA. Rookie Jordan Weems proved a hard thrower in mopup duty
— 18 strikeouts in 14 innings — while Burch Smith was lightsout before a forearm strain ended his season in August.
Rising prospects: If this winter does involve a bullpen rebuild, the A’s don’t exactly have tons of help bubbling up through their farm system.
Miguel Romero, 26, who had a 3.96 ERA at TripleA Las Vegas in 2019, and Wandisson Charles, 24, a hardthrowing righthander who reached DoubleA in 2019 and has gaudy strikeout ( and walk) numbers in the minors, both spent this season working at the A’s alternate training site.
Otherwise, the A’s top pitching prospects are mostly starters. James Kaprielian made two relief appearances for Oakland this year but is still talked about as a starter. One possible crossover is Grant Holmes, a 2014 firstrounder, who has a handful of relief outings in the minors.
Righthander Jeff Criswell, the A’s secondround pick in 2020, pitched as a starter and reliever at Michigan but didn’t get any minorleague reps after being drafted. He was added to the A’s instructional league team, which was on hiatus this past week due to a positive coronavirus test.
Key question for 2021: Who’s the closer?
Since taking over the role for the A’s in June 2019, Hendriks has perhaps been the best closer in baseball. He leads the majors with 39 saves in that time, totaling a 1.99 ERA, 111 strikeouts and seven walks in 68 innings.
At 31, Hendriks would likely be in for a big payday in a normal offseason. There are questions entering this winter, though, if a 2020 season without paying crowds makes teams less apt to spend. The A’s could try to resign Hendriks on a oneyear deal. Hendriks, though, figures to command lots of attention given his numbers and not many marquee relievers on the market.
If the A’s lose Hendriks, they don’t appear to have a clear replacement. Diekman was excellent this year but as a lefthander might have more value as a setup man who can be used against certain parts of a lineup. Wendelken has not closed in the majors. Soria is a pending free agent.
A longshot candidate could be Smith, who impressed in a tiny sample size before his injury, but the righthander hasn’t closed and health has been an issue. The A’s could also look outside for a replacement via free agency or trade.
Potential free agents: Of their own free agents, the A’s could make a real effort to bring back Petit, who has the trust of manager Bob Melvin, can pitch in any situation and has improved into his mid30s.
Among closers, the A’s could look at Trevor Rosenthal, a 2015 AllStar who rebounded from a dismal 2019 following Tommy John surgery to post a 1.90 ERA with 11 saves this season.
Shane Greene is coming off a nice season ( 2.60 ERA in 28 games) with the Braves and has closer experience ( 32 saves in 2018) but could be on the pricier side. Greg Holland is another former AllStar who appears to have solved some struggles — he had a 1.91 ERA for the Royals this year.
Matt Kawahara covers the A’s for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mkawahara@ sfchronicle. com Twitter: @ matthewkawahara