Oakland Athletics’ reliever Pat Venditte pitched so well last season that he had almost certainly earned a leg up in the bullpen battle that was set to take place next spring. Despite being one of best storylines of the 2015 seasons, the 30-year-old switch-pitcher had also proven that he does have plenty of baseball value, not just charming-anecdote value.
In 26 games for the A’s, Venditte pitched 28.2 innings. He allowed 22 hits, walked 12, and gave up a trio of homers en route to 14 earned runs. Altogether, he finished with a 4.40 ERA and 23 strikeouts, which isn’t exactly going to win Reliever of the Year, but it was certainly better than many of the other performances the Athletics’ saw. And it was hard not to like Venditte’s story, even for those who weren’t as impressed by his performance. Blue Jays fans will likely find him just as enjoyable to watch, even if his low velocity can be frustrating at times.
But while Venditte seems a bit too valuable of a depth piece to just give away, perhaps it’s the best possible thing for the Athletics. If he had remained with the organization, he would have certainly been in the fight for a roster spot during Spring Training. There’s even a good chance he would’ve have walked out of camp as a winner, unless the A’s pick up 3-4 more quality arms over the winter. There just aren’t any solid relief arms at the top of the minor league system – most of the A’s best pitching prospects are stretched out as starters, where they should stay to maximize their value to the organization.
By losing Venditte on waiver claims to the Blue Jays on Monday, it forces the front office to go out and find relief help. Instead of simply saying that his 4.40 ERA was a result of missed time and a small sample size and his recovery from injuries,and giving him another opportunity to perform at the major league level, the A’s just have to move on and find someone new – and hopefully better – to replace the interesting-yet-average pitching that Venditte provided. The Jays have taken away a plausible excuse that Oakland could have used to explain why they didn’t spend on relievers.
Relief pitchers are one of the most hard to predict groups in baseball, and there’s always a chance that Venditte goes to Toronto and puts up numbers that make the A’s regret their decision. For his sake, hopefully that happens. But for the Oakland Athletics, giving up Venditte may have taken away one of their fallback relievers, forcing them to make even more changes this winter.