Jason Pridie Signs Minor League Deal
By Tony Frye
Outfielder Jason Pridie has signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics, again.
If his name doesn’t ring a bell it’s because his previous stint in the Oakland farm system was pretty short lived. After signing a deal in 2012 with the A’s, Pridie was suspended for 50 games for a second positive testing of “drugs of abuse” and became a free agent upon his return from suspension.
In case you’re wondering, the Major League Baseball Drug Policy lists “drugs of abuse” as marijuana, both real and synthetic, cocaine, LSD (thanks Dock Ellis), Ecstasy, PCP, and opiates. None of these drugs are considered performance enhancing and drug tests for these violations are only administered if there is reasonable cause to do so.
Putting his past indiscretions aside, the Athletics are taking a chance on Jason Pridie who has only appeared in 127 major league games through six seasons, the majority of which were with the New York Mets in 2011. In 2014, playing with the Colorado Springs, Pridie had a 2.5% home run rate, 16% K rate, and 8.6% BB rate.
More from White Cleat Beat
- Zach Logue yet another disappointing Oakland A’s trade return
- Luis Barrera heading to familiar foe in Los Angeles Angels
- Looking back at Ruben Sierra with the Oakland A’s
- San Francisco Giants showing Oakland A’s offseason could be worse
- Lucas Luetge what Oakland A’s need in bullpen
Jason Pridie will most likely be a depth acquisition. According to Melissa Lockard, Pridie can play all three outfield positions with a strong arm and above average speed. His minor league stats indicate that he has some power but his limited major league experience makes him a bit of a gamble for the opening day lineup. Further, with Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry waiting in the wings, for now, it would take a catastrophic season, a la 2014 Rangers, for his call-up to become necessary.
One other aspect to consider is that Jason Pridie will be 32 at the end of the season and Beane has shown no interest in giving old men over 30 much of a shot this year. For now, I would wager that he is nothing more than minor league depth with a pretty slim shot at the major league roster prior to the expansion but for a low low price, he’s a more than capable hitter and defensive outfielder who may become part of a trade package or see his spot in the depth chart move up in the event of a Fuld or Gentry trade.
As Jason Burke pointed out on Twitter, Jason Pridie has “some serious beard game”so, in that respect, he’s a pretty solid signing for Oakland.