Morning everyone and happy last day of 2025!
The A’s have certainly been at work behind the scenes in the first couple months of the offseason. We haven’t heard of the team in any direct links to any rumors,
which isn’t itself surprising but is also how the A’s like to operate. A’s fans were clamoring for a move, a signing, a trade. Anything to improve the team for the upcoming season. And just about all of that came in just the past few weeks.
The A’s made their first major league addition to the roster this month when the front office inked right-handed reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to a one-year contract for the coming season, beefing up the middle relief with an experienced veteran. Then the A’s shored up their infield by trading for former batting champion Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets that didn’t deplete any major names from the farm system. With second base settled the A’s then got to work finishing up left fielder Tyler Soderstrom’s seven-year extension, the first of hopefully several young players to sign on for the long road ahead to Las Vegas.
While those are the biggest moves, those haven’t been the only ones as the front office has also focused on adding more depth than high-end relief help during the early parts of the offseason. So far the A’s have signed over a dozen relief arms to minor league deals this offseason, with the team obviously betting on quantity over quality. That may not work in the playoffs but we saw firsthand this past season that you can never have enough relief depth and the A’s are taking that lesson to heart.
While we’re all still hoping for more major league deals the A’s are continuing to beef up the depth. Yesterday evening it was reported that the team had inked yet another reliever to a minors pact, bringing 31-year-old right-hander Nick Hernandez into the fold. The longtime Astros prospect has already made his big league debut, though it’s a small sample of just 17 games across the past three seasons.
While Hernandez’s major league stats aren’t anything to write home about, the right-hander has turned in fantastic results in Triple-A in each of the past two seasons. In 89 appearances out of the bullpen Hernandez has allowed just 25 earned runs spanning 99 full frames, which comes out to a 2.27 ERA. That’s not something to sneeze at, especially when considering he spent the past season pitching in the PCL, one of the most hitter-friendly league in the minor leagues. He doesn’t have overpowering “stuff” which is partially why he’s yet to find much success as a major leaguer but given the lack of proven options in the major league bullpen, the A’s might be an excellent spot for Hernandez to finally get an extended look in the big leagues, something he never got with Houston. If he continues to post numbers like he did in Triple-A this past year he won’t have to wait too long for that opportunity.
That’s not the only recent minor league addition to the relief core. The Athletics also came to terms on a minor league pact with right-hander Brooks Kriske, who spent the past season split between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago Cubs. The righty has a bit more big league experience than Hernandez but not by much. Since signing with the Yankees back in 2016 Kriske has bounced around, spending time in seven different major league systems as well as a couple of years overseas pitching in Japan.
Soon to turn 32, the righty has pitched in parts of four major league seasons but has an awful 9.53 ERA as a major league pitcher. His minor league stats have been much better throughout his career, consistently racking up big strikeout numbers but also issuing way too many free passes. He got that somewhat under control in the minors this past season pitching in Chicago’s system but the issue again cropped up when in the big leagues.
The A’s are a hot destination for relief pitchers looking to make an Opening Day roster. While not all of the arms the Athletics have brought aboard will pan out, the likelihood that the team will find at least one quality arm from the scrap heap goes up and up the more pitching the A’s add. Hernandez and Kriske, like most of the others, have yet to establish themselves as big league relievers but they could be the next late-blooming reliever the A’s find for cheap.
Hopefully 2026 gives us more to root for. Things are looking up for the A’s this coming season. Have a great final day of the year A’s fans!
A’s Coverage:
- A’s, Nick Hernandez, Brooks Kriske agree to minor league deals
- Building for the future: Soderstrom inks deal at A’s imminent Las Vegas home
- A’s, Tyler Soderstrom Agree On 7 Year/$86 Million Contract Extension
- Gelof ‘a little bit behind’ but on track for big comeback in 2026
- Soderstrom Extension Raises Question About “Who’s Next?”
- Longtime A’s Scout Will Schock passes away at 61
- A’s acquire Jeff McNeil
- Athletics Reportedly Sign Mark Leiter Jr.
- 2025 Athletics Season In Review: Brett Harris
- 2025 Athletics Season In Review: Noah Murdock
- 2025 Athletics Season In Review: Miguel Andujar
- 2025 Athletics Season in Review: Brent Rooker
- 2025 Athletics Season In Review: Brady Basso
MLB News and Interest:
- Imai, Okamoto meeting with teams in person in LA with deadlines approaching
- Orioles re-sign starting pitcher Zach Eflin to one-year contract
- Angels sign former closer Kirby Yates to one-year deal
- Mariners reluctant to deal from major league roster
- Angels restructure Anthony Rendon’s contract, remove him from roster
- Diamondbacks GM: Ketel Marte trade talks won’t last all offseason
- Today in baseball history
Best of X
The Soderstrom extension is now official!
In case you wanted to see the full press conference:
Is anyone really surprised though?
Will Luis Medina be a positive contributor for the Athletics next season?
