The Oakland A’s are in the market for a new relief pitcher, even after adding two already this winter. They signed Yusmeiro Petit and acquired Emilio Pagan, but both are right-handers and the team could still use a lefty. Susan Slusser of S.F. Chronicle suggests that free agency is the more likely avenue for their next pickup, and she names Tony Watson as one potential candidate.
Let’s begin with a look at the overall market. On Sunday I offered the following list of sensible targets, but several have signed since then:
- Tony Watson, LHP
- Boone Logan, LHP
- Brian Duensing, LHP
Fortunately, most of the names who’ve gone off the board are righties, so they didn’t match what Oakland ultimately needs most anyway.