As I said in a recent post, relievers are not always acquired. Sometimes they are created. If one thing is becoming clear in A's-land these days, it's that bullpens are more important than they used to be. Starting pitchers throw only 2/3 of a game and a lock down bullpen like the Royals boast can truly shorten games.
Like most teams, the Royals win every game they lead after 9 innings but they also win nearly every game they lead after 8, 7, or 6. In contrast, Oakland's epic and universal meltdown of every reliever they have tried shows how quickly a shaky bullpen can turn a promising game, or season, into a cesspool of despair.