Monday was a big day for the Oakland Athletics, as 2002 Cy Young Winner Barry Zito announced his retirement from the game. But perhaps more importantly, the A’s made several changes to their current roster, freeing up room to make some moves after the season.
Maybe the front office thought the playoffs would be a good cover to sneak a few players through waivers, but that proved not to be the case. Switch-pitching reliever Pat Venditte almost made it through, but was snagged by the Toronto Blue Jays.