Adam Oller’s path back toward MLB has taken the kind of detour that used to look like an ending.
A former New York Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Oller was never exactly billed as a future headliner. The award itself has had its share of names that didn’t turn into much, and Oller fit that mold at the time: a mid-20s pitcher, a former 20th-round pick, and a Rule 5 addition the Mets brought in before he put together a 9-4 mark with a 3.45 ERA in the minors. Most of his best work came in Triple-A, but it still wasn’t enough to earn him a spot with the big league club.
Then came the bizarre stretch that defined that offseason. After the shortened 2020 season and the long run of games without fans in 2021, the 2021-2022 MLB offseason hit the lockout.
From December through February, nothing happened. Once the lockout ended on March 10, the market opened fast, and just two days later Oller was shipped to the Oakland Athletics with J.T.
Ginn in the trade for Chris Bassitt.
Oakland gave him a real runway. Oller logged 74.1 innings, but the results never came with him.
His 6.30 ERA in that first look was an early warning sign, and the picture only got rougher from there. Across his next two major league seasons, he finished with a 6.54 ERA, and eventually he took his career overseas.
That move has started to look a lot smarter than a last resort.
The overseas route has already worked for pitchers trying to get back on track, and Anthony Kay’s 3.96 ERA this year with the Chicago White Sox has shown that a stint abroad can pay off. He’s earning a modest $5 million this year and will be at the same salary in 2027, with additional money tied to innings. Foster Griffin has also been one of the bigger success stories in the recent crop of returnees, and Erick Fedde has had some solid seasons as well.
Oller is now putting together a case of his own with the Kia Tigers. Through 22 starts, he owns a 3.08 ERA and a 9.4 K/9.
That’s not a one-month spike or some fluky hot streak. It’s his second year in Korea, and last season he made 26 starts with a 3.62 ERA and 10.2 K/9.
The numbers moved in different directions, but the larger point is clear: this is a quality result, and it has Oller back in the conversation for another shot at MLB.
In Other News...
Mets Just Put Luis Robert Jr.'s Future In Doubt
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His contract also includes a $20 million team option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout, which is part of what makes the next step worth watching. New Yorks roster churn did not stop there, either, as Eric Wagaman was sent to Triple-A Syracuse after Juan Soto came off the injured list, another sign the Mets are still sorting through the edges of the roster while trying to settle the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kumingas Sudden Slide Says Something Bigger About The Warriors
Luis Robert Jr. ending up on waivers after injuries and a trade is the kind of roster move that once would have sounded unthinkable for a player with his pedigree. For the Mets, it is a reminder of how quickly the market can move when a once-promising name stops looking like a sure thing, and how little protection past prospect hype offers once the production slips and the health questions pile up.
Jonathan Kumingas decision to turn down a three-year, $75 million offer from Golden State only adds to the same theme of shifting value and uncertain futures. Instead of settling in with the Warriors, he signed a two-year deal with Minnesota, and the reaction around his card market has mirrored the unease that follows a stalled ascent, the kind of sudden slide that says plenty about how fragile reputation can be in pro sports. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face A Risky Power Debate They Cant Ignore
The Brewers have spent all season proving there is more than one way to win in October, sitting atop the majors despite not built around the kind of thump that usually drives the conversation. That only makes the possibility of adding Luis Robert Jr. more interesting. The Mets putting the outfielder on outright waivers suddenly opened the door for other clubs, and Milwaukee is the sort of contender that has to at least weigh a player who brings power, speed and premium defense.
But this is exactly the kind of move that can pull a front office in two directions. Roberts upside is obvious, yet his health history is part of the conversation, and Milwaukee also has to consider what it already has on hand in the outfield. For a team trying to protect its edge while staying balanced, the question is not whether Robert can help in a vacuum. It is whether the Brewers are willing to take on the risk when their current formula is already working. [Read more 🡒]