In 15 games in Sacramento, he posted a 6.01 ERA. Whether it’s a Triple-A ballpark or not, numbers like those are unacceptable for your big fish of the winter. Outside of Severino, there wasn’t anything to get too excited about.
Not a single guy who started at least 10 games for the A’s posted an ERA under four. While the home environment definitely didn’t help, as we saw with Severino, there’s no world where a team can envision winning with a rotation like that.
The bullpen was slightly better, but still nothing to brag about. Sean Newcomb put together a very nice season, with a 1.75 ERA in just over 50 innings. Hogan Harris, Elvis Alvarado, Michael Kelly, and Justin Sterner also made some nice contributions in that group.
Either way, this is the part of the Athletics that clearly needs the most help. In a division loaded with teams like the Mariners, Astros, and even the Rangers, a staff like this is simply not going to cut it.
Improving the Farm System
Of course, Mason Miller was one of the best relievers in baseball for the A’s. That was until the trade deadline, when he was shipped to the Padres.
In return, the organization got one of the best prospects ever dealt, Leo De Vries (Just Baseball #7), along with three solid arms. As a matter of fact, the system now has three top-100 prospects in De Vries, Gage Jump, and Luis Morales.