Kuhnel, Perkins, and a Deadline Move? A's Bullpen Future Is Brighter Than You Think
In this story:
Last summer the A's dealt their generational closer, Mason Miller, to the San Diego Padres in exchange for a package centered around top prospect Leo De Vries. Shockingly, the A's have posted a bullpen ERA of 3.36 since the loss of Miller, ranking them second in baseball since the trade.
The A's pitching staff has surprisingly been outperforming the offense so far this season.
Although losing an unbelievable arm like Miller seems like a loss for the A's, they might have landed a star in the process. Not to mention the A's bullpen has been just fine without Miller. To start this season, Mark Leiter Jr. was expected to get the most looks in the closer role.
However, a rough start for Leiter Jr. had the A's cycling through the with Elvis Alvarado, Hogan Harris, and eventually Joel Kuhnel.
This off-season, the club was reportedly very high on Kuhnel, who eventually signed a minor league pact and joined Triple-A Las Vegas. A couple of weeks into the season, the team called him up. In his second appearance, he earned his first MLB save since 2022 as a member of the Reds. Since then, he's picked up a team-high four saves for the Green and Gold.
In ten innings, Kuhnel has posted a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He's done a good job limiting the long ball, allowing no homers to begin the season. In general, he's not getting squared up, ranking in the 95th percentile in barrel percentage.
If not Kuhnel, then the closer has to be Perkins
If Kuhnel is able to continue his production, he's certainly an option to serve as the closer role until further notice. However, in the Kansas City series, right-hander Jack Perkins showcased he can also be a closer option for the club. In just over 12 innings this season, Perkins holds a 2.92 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.
Perkins has tallied three saves for the club. Since last season, Perkins has finished eight games for the A's, and has five saves in his career.
This season, Jack Perkins has been really strong at deceiving hitters, as he currently sits in the 99th percentile of pitchers in chase percentage. This means he's getting opposing hitters to chase at pitches outside of the zone, which usually helps generate weaker contact on worse swings.
With both Perkins and Kuhnel being strong closer options, the team can also land a closer or backend bullpen arm before the trade deadline. If the A's continue to remain atop the American League West division into the summer, the club could certainly look into adding some experienced arms in the bullpen.
Upgrade options
Some good options that could be on the trade market include Ryan Helsley, the Orioles' closer. The right-hander is an impending free agent and has seven saves in 12 games for Baltimore. If the Orioles will not be contenders in the American League East, he could be a big piece in trade talks this summer.
Another option could be Cardinals' southpaw JoJo Romero. Romero has no saves in 2026, but had eight last season and can be a nice left-handed option in the backend of the A's bullpen. He is also an impending free agent, and St. Louis could look to get something on the trade market instead of possibly losing him this offseason.
The A's have plenty of solid in-house options to close out games for now, but if the team can keep winning, a strong bullpen arm could be in the cards before the deadline.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.
Follow dylanq_2