A's Sign Jeurys Familia
The Oakland A's have brought in another veteran reliever in Jeurys Familia, and according to Robert Murray, he's back on a Major-League contract.
Familia was formerly acquired by the A's back at the Trade Deadline in 2018 in a deal with the New York Mets. In his time with Oakland, Familia posted a 3.45 ERA across 31.1 innings pitched with a 1.213 WHIP. He struck out 40 and walked 14.
In the four seasons since, Familia has posted a 4.96. ERA while playing for the Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies. Last season he ranked in the 3rd percentile in hard hit percentage with a rate of 46.8%, and in the 4th percentile in average exit velocity (90.8 mph).
The 33-year-old was sharp this spring, allowing just one run over 6.2 innings with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Arizona decided he wasn't going to make their Opening Day roster, and released him on Friday before the A's scooped him up on Saturday. Familia tossed a scoreless inning against Oakland back on March 7 while striking out two.
With the deal reportedly being one that guarantees him a spot on the big-league roster for Opening Day, it would appear as though Drew Steckenrider and Austin Pruitt, the previous frontrunners for the final spot in the bullpen, will now be headed to Triple-A to serve as further veteran depth for the A's bullpen to begin the season.
The right-hander has 125 career saves, but only one since 2018 in 15 opportunities. He'll most likely be a late inning option, but not necessarily the closer.
With the addition of Familia, there will need to be a corresponding move made to the 40-man roster to clear room for him in order to make the signing official.