Elephant Rumblings: Relief market starting to move, Williams signs with Mets

Good morning A’s fans!

The next major free agent reliever has signed, and no it wasn’t with the A’s. The first big domino to fall was right-handed reliever Raisel Iglesias, who reupped with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year pact a couple of weeks ago. That’s seemed to trigger a quick succession of signings.

The next big name to put pen to paper was former Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. After spending the second half of last season in New York with the Mets, Helsley decided to stay in the East when he signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles to be their new closer. There was some speculation that he could transition to a starting pitcher but that won’t happen this year in Baltimore.

And now just a couple of days ago we saw the third big free agent reliever sign with a new team. That relief arm was righty Devin Williams, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the New York Mets. They watched their incumbent closer Edwin Diaz and Helsley both hit the free agent market when the season wrapped up. Helsley is now off the board and you can be certain that Diaz is getting plenty of calls from interested teams for his services. The Mets could end up bringing him back, but adding Williams gives them a viable option in the closer’s role if Diaz moves on. They don’t have to bend over backwards to bring their longtime closer back now.

Where does that leave the rest of the league? Now the other teams will be fighting even harder for the remaining studs left on the market. The big names like Diaz and Robert Suarez are still available. Lesser-known but also quality relievers like Shawn Armstrong, Kyle Finnegan, Luke Weaver and Tyler Rogers are also still out there waiting to sign and any of them would likely be the presumptive closer on the A’s. Or if you’re more inclined for a veteran, Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and David Robertson are also seeking new employment. Adding any of those relievers would be a boon for the Athletics but it’s going to take two to tango.

If the A’s want any of them it’s going to cost more than other teams. The A’s are still in high-taxed California and not seriously attempting to compete for a championship anytime soon. Diaz seems like a pipe dream, as well as Suarez. Those are arguably the top two options left on the market and it’s going to cost a pretty penny to get their services, plus they both probably want to play for a legitimate contender. Armstrong, Finnegan, Weaver and Rogers are possibilities but will also likely prefer to play for an obvious playoff contender.

After the top options a player like Jansen or Robertson could be a worthwhile addition. Jansen, who is 38 and set to play in his 17th big league season, is still pitching well. As the Angels’ closer last year he pitched to a 2.59 ERA in 60 games. The veteran could be a huge source of knowledge and pass on some knowledge to the younger arms in the A’s current bullpen. He’s also 24 saves shy of 500 for his career and that’d be a fun thing to watch happen in an Athletics uniform.

Yates struggled to a 5.23 ERA with the Dodgers this past season but is only one year removed from saving 33 games for the Rangers. And Robertson, who is set to enter his age-41 season, looked decent in a middle relief role for the Phillies last year and is also close to a career milestone, 200 saves. He needs just 21 more to reach it and the A’s could be the team that offers him that opportunity. Conversely he may not want to spend the last year or two of his career in Sacramento.

Or will all of these guys end up spurning the A’s and sign deals with other teams? The Athletics could really use a closer, and they need to spend money to keep the MLBPA happy. It seems like a no-brainer for the team to eventually come to terms with hopefully one of the above-mentioned players, but they might have to wait out the rest of the league picking their relief targets first. There’s always the trade market, too.

So who do you want the A’s to add to the relief unit? One of those guys? One that hasn’t been mentioned? Talk below, and have an excellent day everyone!

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