Oakland Athletics’ Bullpen: Five Potential Offseason Targets

Jul 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Neftali Feliz (39) looks on as Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria (3) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers, RHP Neftali Feliz
27 years old, $238,000

It was in 2010 that Feliz led the American League in saves (59) and made himself an AL West household name. He was named the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year and helped the Rangers to back-to-back World Series – he probably was remembered most for not being able to seal the deal against David Freese. There was no denying that he was one of most dominant closers for that two-year stretch, yet that all changed when he blew out his arm in 2012 and needed Tommy John Surgery. The Rangers tried to turn him into a starting pitcher and his arm simply couldn’t handle the workload. For the next three years, he stayed primarily on the DL and never really found himself.

Even this season when the Tigers gave him a chance, he just hasn’t been able to find that flame-throwing younger version of himself that had so much success. His line in 2015 has been a 15.75 ERA in 8.0 innings, while allowing 15 hits (three of them home runs). His high-90’s fastball is still there but you can tell when he pitches, he just seems tentative. Much like Parnell, he has all the tools; he just needs to regain the confidence to use them effectively again. If the A’s were to give him that shot, he wouldn’t cost much and the good outweighs the bad. Plus, it would be great to see Feliz dominate in the Coliseum again – this time for the right team.

Next: A Familiar Fernando