This Left-Hander Should Join the Athletics Soon
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The A's bullpen has had quite a rough last few weeks, as they have been blowing lots of late-inning games, and they have blown more games than almost every other team in baseball.
These late-inning blows have actually made the A's fall from the stand-alone first-place team in the West to sitting in fourth in the division.
The Wild Card race is going to be crowded and tangled. Tiebreakers could easily come into play, which makes dropping all four to Texas even worse for the #BlueJays.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 28, 2026
Guardians (2-1), Astros (1-2), A's (3-0), Orioles (4-3) and Twins (3-4) could all be part of it, too.
One issue with the bullpen is the inconsistency from left-handers. Hogan Harris was the lone southpaw on the Opening Day roster in the bullpen, and he is now joined by Jose Suarez and the recently called-up Matt Krook.
Hogan Harris has been struggling recently, and that really hurts the team because Mark Kotsay loves his matchups, and when he turns to Harris to face left-handers, it's becoming hard to trust him.
CD Pelham's Recent Success in Triple-A
The A's could really use a strong left-hander in their bullpen, and there are several ways they could go about it. Their first option is simply adding 31-year-old CD Pelham to their roster.
The southpaw started his minor league journey in 2015 and has only reached MLB in one season, back in 2018. He appeared in 10 games and held a 7.04 ERA.
Since then, he has yet to make an appearance in the big leagues, and now, with his incredible numbers in Triple-A this season, he could find his way back up many years after his debut season.
CD Pelham lanzará para los @AguilasDeMxli en la LMP.
— Miguel Lugo (@_MiguelLugo) August 18, 2025
El zurdo llamó la atención el año pasado con @clubtomateros al alcanzar las 100 mph en su recta. pic.twitter.com/vB0f9Ahpyw
Pelham has pitched in 14.2 innings so far since his promotion to Triple-A and holds an impressive 1.23 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.
We've seen how tough it is to pitch in the Las Vegas Ballpark, and having those numbers there is actually super difficult, and it will be big for the A's if he can be a productive left-hander in the team's bullpen.
Other Options for the A's Bullpen
If the A's elect not to call on Pelham, they have some other options to choose from to improve their current bullpen.
Cardinals' southpaw, JoJo Romero, could be a fit for the A's this summer, as he has had success in St. Louis' bullpen over the last few years.
Cardinals fans were dead set on wanting to move JoJo Romero for pieces at the trade deadline last year. Now, he's a key piece holding that bullpen together
— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) June 26, 2026
Romero is the league leader in Holds (19), an oft forgotten stat, but one we find rather important pic.twitter.com/9duB5bM2LB
He would have to be acquired in a trade, meaning the A's would have to trade some prospect capital for him, but it could be worth it. The move would help bolster the staff and bring some major league experience to the bullpen.
Just sticking with Matt Krook, Jose Suarez, and the struggling Hogan Harris going forward is not a recipe for success, so they will need to make moves sooner rather than later if they plan to stay contenders.
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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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