Osvaldo Bido signing puts Oakland Athletics in an interesting spot ahead of Rule 5 draft

On Monday evening, the Oakland Athletics agreed to a major league contract with right-handed pitcher Osvaldo Bido. While pitching for the Pirates in 2023, Bido posted a 5.86 ERA with a 4.10 FIP and struck out 48 batters in 50.2 innings.

He appeared in 16 games, getting 9 starts and working out of the bullpen for the remainder. Originally signed at 21 years old out of the Dominican Republic, Bido has been old for each of his stops through the minors. He’s never been a stand-out player and his best minor league seasons were in 2018 and 2019.

Bido may get a chance to crack the A’s rotation in 2024 but the most interesting part of this signing is that it fills up the 40-man roster. That means that the A’s will need to remove someone if they want to make a selection in the Rule 5 draft in early December.

Will the Athletics make additional moves prior to the Rule 5 draft?

It’s been widely speculated that the A’s would use the number one pick in the Rule 5 draft to acquire someone. Last year’s selection, 1B Ryan Noda, has worked out well for the team.

Having signed Miguel Andujar and acquired Abraham Toro via trade, it’s possible the A’s feel their infield is set up for 2024. The outfield is a bit jammed, with Esteury Ruiz, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Seth Brown, and Lawrence Butler all angling for playing time.

However, the rotation and bullpen are still in need of improvement. It’s possible that David Forst and the A’s like Bido more than any of the Rule 5 candidates, and it’s still possible that they DFA someone or make another trade to open a roster spot for the draft.

According to Baseball America ($), some of the more intriguing starting pitching candidates include righty Tanner Burns, lefty Shane Drohan, and righty Coleman Crow, as well as relievers Alec Gamboa, Tyler Owens, and Grant Wolfram.

As currently constructed, the A’s pitching staff has just four players who posted an ERA below 4.00 last year. The only one of those projected to be in the rotation is top prospect Mason Miller, who has plenty of question marks regarding his health.

The others are Dany Jimenez, Zach Jackson, and Sean Newcomb, who threw 56 innings combined in 2023. Newcomb was thought of as a potential non-tender candidate, but the A’s chose to retain him on a one-year, $1 million deal to avoid arbitration.

The Rule 5 draft will take place on Dec. 6. The A’s have roughly two weeks to make any additional moves and open a spot for a potential pick. If they choose not to select a player, it’ll be one of the more interesting decisions Forst and the front office make this winter.