On an off-day before opening a home series against the Miami Marlins, the Athletics made a bullpen move that leaves them thinner on the left side. The club designated veteran southpaw Matt Krook for assignment and reinstated Jose Suarez from the paternity list.
That leaves Suarez and Hogan Harris as the only left-handers in the A’s bullpen.
The timing matters because the Athletics have already been hit hard by injuries across the roster. They’ve recently lost two key hitters in Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson, and Brent Rooker was announced just days ago as out for the rest of the season after knee surgery. That blow not only takes away offense, but also removes one of the team’s leaders.
Krook hasn’t been a major part of the A’s plans over the last two seasons, but moving on from a veteran lefty could still create a real problem for the bullpen in the days ahead. Suarez has been used more as a long-relief option than as a traditional matchup lefty, while Harris fills that situational role.
That setup is tricky for Mark Kotsay, who leans heavily on matchups. If the A’s find themselves in a pair of tight late-game situations, they may need multiple lefties in the same game. That’s hard to manage when Suarez is being stretched out in long relief and Harris can’t be asked to pitch every day.
There is at least another arm in the system who could factor in soon. CD Pelham is in Triple-A and has shown enough to suggest he could join the big-league staff if needed.
Still, the bigger picture is clear: the Athletics need bullpen help. The organization may not have the answer in-house right now, which makes the next month especially important. There is still a month until the trade deadline, giving the A’s time to add relief help if they decide to reinforce the roster before a possible push in October baseball.
One name that has come up as a fit is JoJo Romero. The Cardinals lefty could be available if St. Louis decides to move some rentals rather than risk losing them in free agency.
Aroldis Chapman is another possible trade candidate this summer and could emerge as a dark horse option if the Athletics decide to buy.
For now, everything comes back to the same question: will the A’s buy or sell? If they choose to compete, there are options out there.
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