Pair of Waiver Claims Could Become Key Pieces of A's Bullpen
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It has certainly been a season to forget for the A's. A red-hot start for the team and then a crazy fall toward the bottom of the American League was unexpected, to say the least.
It seemed like this could have been the season for the A's to really make a run in a relatively weak American League. Unfortunately, they had a bunch of injuries that slowly took them out of contention.
Brent Rooker's injury seemed like it was a huge blow, as he played in all 162 games for the team last season. It was announced that he'd need surgery and would miss the remainder of the 2026 season.
Another All-Star slugger, Shea Langeliers, has been sidelined for the rest of the season. With other injuries in their bullpen, as well as some unfortunate underperformances, it's been all hands on deck for the staff. This has led the A's to claim seemingly any pitcher they can get off waivers.
Scott Blewett Has Been Very Good Since Joining the A's
Scott Blewett was pretty much a waiver claim for the team, as he was DFA'd by St. Louis, and the team sent cash considerations to them to land the right-hander.
The 30-year-old reliever only pitched in two innings for the Cardinals this season, and he didn't allow a run. Now, fast-forward to his time with the A's; he's allowed just three runs in 9.2 innings, which is good for a 2.79 ERA.
The #Athletics have acquired right-hander Scott Blewett from the Cardinals.
— Dylan Quinn (@dylanq_2) July 27, 2026
A’s will trade cash considerations. The soft-throwing righty has notably increased his velocity, and his stuff could make him a solid middle reliever.
If you add on his two scoreless innings with the Cardinals, he holds an impressive 2.31 ERA for the season.
A big reason for his success is likely how quickly the ball gets to opposing hitters. His fastball velocity only averages 95.1 miles per hour, but his 93rd percentile of extension makes that 95 get onto the hitters' way more quickly. He also only gets barreled 2.6% of the time, which means he's been good at allowing only weak contact.
Drew Rom Is Putting Together a Good Start
Just days ago, the A's elected to claim southpaw Drew Rom off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. He's only thrown 13 pitches in an A's uniform, but his season numbers have also looked pretty solid in limited innings.
He holds a 2.70 ERA this season, and considering the A's bullpen has been lacking any type of success at all, they will certainly take it.
Given the #Dbacks need for another lefty in the pen, Drew Rom could be a good pick-up
— Diamondbacks Prospects 🐍 (@dbacksprospectz) August 11, 2026
Averages only 91-93 mph, but has a pretty weird 4S that has a 33.6% whiff rate in AAA. Toyed with a sweeper and splitter.
2.20 ERA and 1.52 FIP in AAA. Struck out 36.1% of batters faced! pic.twitter.com/jfRE9O2czi
Unlike Blewett, his fastball is actually on the slower side, and he does not get good extension at all. Instead, he's relied on his stuff being better and has generated lots of whiffs, and his 40.7 strikeout percentage tells that story.
While Blewett and Rom have pitched very few innings this season, you can expect them to step into bigger roles with the team, as they are very different pitchers but elite in their own ways.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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