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Oakland Athletics have agreed to sign free agent reliever Yusmeiro Petit, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal reports further that the A’s also signed Sergio Romo.
Petit has had good success his last three years at Oakland and the A’s have lost end-of-inning relievers Joakim Soria and Liam Hendriks to free agency, so the reunion here made a lot of sense for both sides.
In fact, with Hendriks bringing his elite-level closing chops to Chicago, the door is open for a new closer.
In 26 outings last season, Petit had a 1.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 17 strikeouts against five goals in 21 2/3 innings. During his three years at Oakland, he pitched a 2.73 ERA (154 ERA +) and 0.94 WHIP in 197 2/3 innings.
Romo, 37, is returning to the Bay Area as the best years of his career have been spent in San Francisco. Last season with the Twins, Romo had a 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings.
As stated, the A’s need a new closer and one of those two just might be the guy. Petit has just six career saves, but has enjoyed success in high-leverage positions during his years with the club. Romo is a closer former All-Star and even made five saves last season. Lefty Jake Diekman and right-hander Lou Trivino are listed as the main competition for the two in the fight to close.
While most of the big names aren’t on the board, there are still several probably useful lifters left in the market. We have ranked Little Free Agent # 56 heading into the offseason. From our top 60, the following relievers have yet to be signed: Trevor Rosenthal (38), Shane Greene (46), Tyler Clippard (58) and Tony Watson (59). A possible Trevor Cahill starter or lifter (53) is also available.
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