Building blocks already in majors for Oakland A’s
By David Hill
The bullpen
Although the Oakland A’s have cycled through quite a few relievers at this point, the core of their bullpen is in place.
A.J. Puk, Dany Jimenez, Domingo Acevedo, Sam Moll, and Zach Jackson have all fared well when they have been healthy. Despite those expected bumps in the road that will come for any relatively inexperienced group, and various injury concerns, that quartet has typically performed well when called upon.
This does not mean that the A’s are completely in the clear when it comes to their relief corps. There are ongoing questions about the ninth inning in particular; Jimenez had an excellent couple of months before his injury woes, but that does not mean he can handle the position on a full time basis. Puk has been excellent in a setup role, but has struggled when he has been brought in to close.
The A’s also have other, less glamorous, roles to fill. Their lack of viable depth for the rotation has also been seen as it comes to the long reliever role. This has been a committee this season, and could end up belonging to one of their current fringe starters that are trying to stick in the rotation. Adam Oller has allowed only three earned runs in his 8.1 innings as a reliever and could be an option for that role if he can improve his command.
Next. A's DFA yet another reliever. dark
The Oakland A’s have a long way to go in their rebuild. Interestingly enough, the bullpen may be the area that they finish first.