After Roster Cuts, A's Have Sudden Need For Specific Skillset
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On Monday, the A's announced their latest round of roster cuts from camp, with Brett Harris being one that stood out from of the bunch, given that he was battling for the third base spot when Spring Training began. Top pitching prospect Jamie Arnold was the biggest name reassigned, but he has yet to pitch a pro inning outside of camp, so he was always destined to be removed.
One name that has flown under the radar a bit is Brady Basso, a left-hander that was looking to land a spot in the A's bullpen. It was always a bit of a long shot, but he seemed like the second-best southpaw option in relief behind potential closer Hogan Harris.
The lone left-handed option remaining in camp is Matt Krook, a non-roster invitee that had a cup of coffee with the A's last season before the club designated him for assignment at the end of May. He finished the year with a 5.40 ERA across 3 1/3 innings.
He had a solid first two appearances, then had to wear one against the Angels during the A's 1-20 stretch with an exhausted bullpen. He gave up three hits and two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings, needing 37 pitches for those four outs. He re-signed with the club during the offseason on a minor-league deal and has a 10.80 ERA in 3 1/3 innings this spring.
He's not likely to begin the season with the club, which would leave them with just one left-hander (Harris) available in the bullpen. While this isn't the worst outcome, it could be something the club looks to address in a minor deal before Opening Day. They have bullpen arms with options if they feel strongly that they need a second left-hander.
Or, perhaps they have an option that could work out on hand already.
Taking a look at reverse splits
With just one left-hander on the roster, we wanted to take a look at the righties, and how they ended up faring against lefty bats last season, and over the course of their careers, to see if they could serve the same role as a southpaw would. The arms listed are from our roster projection earlier this spring.
'25 vs. L BA | '25 vs. L FIP | Career L BA | Career L FIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Harris (L) | .236 | 4.14 | .265 | 4.51 |
Leiter Jr. | .269 | 1.84 | .227 | 3.57 |
Barlow | .212 | 5.60 | .235 | 4.00 |
Alvarado | .239 | 5.15 | .239 | 5.15 |
Sterner | .140 | 4.46 | .147 | 4.34 |
Kelly | .214 | 5.51 | .227 | 5.36 |
Ferguson | .241 | 7.99 | .260 | 7.32 |
Medina | NA | NA | .259 | 4.48 |
Leiter has consistently been a reverse splits guy, as his career FIP stands at 5.31 against right-handers, and they have batted .268 against him in his six years in the big leagues. By comparison, Barlow has been better against right-handers (3.29 FIP, .214 career average), but he has been worse than Leiter in this particular scenario.
While Sterner's .140 average against in 2025 is sterling, he also held a .141 BABIP against lefties, which isn't likely to hold going into 2026. Michael Kelly's career .227 average against is actually the same against both sides of the plate, while his FIP is nearly two runs higher against lefties than righties.
Luis Medina is the only option that is out of options, while Barlow and Leiter signed as free agents this past winter. Everyone else would be available to option if a non-roster option was needed, or a new arm was acquired.
So do the A's need a lefty?
The numbers in the table aren't necessarily encouraging, as Leiter is the best option to consider against left-handed bats, but everyone else has held an ERA at or above 4.00, which is basically league average or worse.
Last season they also had Sean Newcomb also in the mix, and he allowed a batting average against of .226 (.287 against RHB) and held a 3.14 FIP. He was at least one extra option for Mark Kotsay to go to when needed for matchup purposes.
Having those options available to him is what made Kotsay's bullpen usage stand out in the second half, as the A's relievers held a cumulative 2.99 ERA, ranking them second in MLB during the final two months. Would the green and gold have that same level of success without a second left-handed option? That is the question that the front office has two weeks to figure out.
We'd have to lean towards no, as the lack of a lefty limits the types of scenarios in which Harris or Leiter can be deployed. Plus, what happens if they're gassed after a couple of games and are unavailable? Not having that option would be placing limitation on the roster that don't need to exist.
Now we will have to wait and see if Krook becomes the guy in the bullpen, the A's sit with just one left-hander to begin the season, or they make a deal in the next two weeks to add onto the roster.
For more A's news and insights, follow Jason @ByJasonB on X, or the site @InsideTheAs!
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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