Athletics make minor league depth signing, add former Cardinals reliever

The Oakland Athletics have reportedly signed former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seth Elledge to a minor league contract. The deal wasn't announced by the team on social media but it was picked up on the MiLB transactions page.

According to Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated's Inside the A's, Elledge will report to the A's Arizona Complex affiliate.

Elledge made his major league debut back in 2020 for the Cardinals. He threw 11.2 innings in both 2020 and 2021, pitching to a 4.63 ERA in a low-leverage role.

He's bounced around several organizations throughout his career. After being drafted by the Mariners in 2017, he was traded to the Cardinals for reliever Sam Tuivailala. All told, he spent four years in the Cardinals system.

The Cardinals released him in April of 2022 and he was quickly picked up by the Braves on a minor league deal. He spent a year with Atlanta before getting DFA'd in early 2023. He spent last year bouncing between the Mets, Tigers, and Braves again, getting DFA'd three times.

He'll join an Athletics roster that's been solid in terms of the bullpen, so it's unclear whether Elledge will get an opportunity in the majors any time soon.

2023 was not kind to Elledge, as he posted a 5.34 ERA in 57.1 innings between the three clubs he played for, all at Triple-A. He did put up a 23% strikeout rate but also walked nearly 10% of the batters he faced.

At this point, Elledge likely figures to be a depth option for the A's. He won't be added to the 40-man roster initially, though Alex Speas is the only reliever currently on the 40-man in the minors.

If the A's run into an injury bug issue, Elledge could get the call as he does have some major league experience. He'll be behind Speas in the pecking order but could be in the conversation with guys like Zach Jackson, Vinny Nittoli, and Easton Lucas, all of whom have experience in the majors.