One of the first decisions the A's had to make this past offseason was whether to pick up Fernando Rodney's $5.25 million option or buy him out for $250K.
They chose the former and it has not paid off.
Rodney gave up four runs in the bottom of the 13th inning Sunday, allowing a 3-1 lead to turn into a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The veteran right-hander has now allowed 13 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings this season, translating to an 8.78 ERA.
There were certainly warning signs that bringing Rodney back might backfire.