The Oakland A’s offseason has officially begun, with the first piece of player news.
The A’s declined their contract option on reliever Jake Diekman, making him a free agent.
Oakland first acquired the left-hander at the 2019 trade deadline, and he’s pitched for the A’s ever since. He was phenomenal during the shortened 2020 campaign, posting an 0.42 ERA with the help of a revamped slider and earning a finalist nod for the All-MLB Team. However, he didn’t repeat that lofty success this summer, with a mediocre ERA, a career-high homer rate, and too many blown saves.