Oakland A’s release pair from minor league contracts

Sections of the Oakland A’s major league roster are going to be a revolving door. As the A’s look to find pieces for their future core, they will be shuffling players in and out of the majors, leading to a great deal of turnover everywhere.

That will include the minors. The A’s recently made a pair of moves, releasing both Buddy Reed and Eric Thames, sending them back into free agency.

Buddy Reed, Eric Thames not part of Oakland A’s plans

Thames had been signed to a minor league deal during the offseason after an injury plagued year in Japan. As he had been a notable slugger during his time with the Brewers, he was certainly worth the gamble for the A’s, even with his being sent to Triple-A to start the 2022 season.

It is actually somewhat surprising that he did not get a look at the major league level. Thames had posted a solid .274/.337/.452 batting line in his 92 plate appearances. While his 35 strikeouts were concerning, the general lack of production from A’s first basemen this year could have been enough to give Thames a chance.

It was a matter of time with Reed. The toolsy outfielder had intrigued for years, especially with his speed, but was never able to put it all together. That continued this year, as he had produced a disappointing .196/.256/.196 batting line in his 56 plate appearances. It just does not seem as though it is going to happen for Reed in the A’s system.

Reed could catch on elsewhere. His tools and potential may be enough to interest another team. At 27 years old, there is still a chance that he could tap into some of his potential and become a viable part of a major league roster.

The story is different with Thames. He is 35 years old at this point and is coming off of an injury that sidelined him for all but one game in 2021. At this point, one has to wonder how much baseball he has left.

The Oakland A’s made a pair of cuts to their minor league roster. Eric Thames and Buddy Reed have seen their time come to an end.