After acquiring Jed Lowrie and Yonder Alonso, the Athletics began to address the bullpen. With the AL being won by a strong bullpen the last 2 seasons, teams are starting to respond by building a tough pen of their own. So, the A’s made an ironic move to that statement, by signing former Royals reliever, Ryan Madson, to a 3-year $22 million deal; then they also inked former Milwaukee closer, John Axford, to a 2-year $10 million pact. The A’s now have arguably one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the American League.
With the combination of John Axford, Madson, and Sean Doolittle, the A’s should have no problem winning on a daily basis if they can obtain a lead entering the late innings. They may not have an intriguing lineup or rotation (after Sonny Gray), but clearly the front office knows that a strong bullpen is key to beating the two-time AL champs, Kansas City Royals. Billy Beane and his associates may have given out signals of rebuild over the past two years, but bolstering the pen certainly doesn’t look like a rebuild method.
Their current closer, Sean Doolittle, only pitched a total of 13 innings in 2015 because of shoulder problems all year, but 2014 was when he established himself as an all-star. That year he gathered 89 K’s in just 62 innings of work, giving him a K/9 of 12.8. He saved 22 games out of 26 opportunities. His first strike percentage was 66%, while the league average for closers was 60%. 2014 was when he was established as a power closer, who was intimidating on the mound. Because the A’s had inconsistent defense and run production, he underperformed, while his FIP (true ERA without factoring in the defense) was lower (1.71) than his ERA (2.73). Now with the two solidified relievers setting him up in the 7th and 8th innings, Doolittle should get more save opportunities.
When a team has a great closer, a great set up man is key to obtain. Ryan Madson will bridge the gap this year for the A’s, as he did a great job in KC bridging the gap to Wade Davis at the end of the year. Prior to 2012 when his career began a downfall, he was a big part of the Phillies’ pen, setting up Brad Lidge with an ERA in the 3’s in 2008, then as interim closer in 2011, closing the door 32/34 times. After 3 years off, Madson got an opportunity with KC and flourished, thus signing his new contract with the A’s. In 2015, the former Phillies closer was a key set up man to Wade Davis on the Royals’ way to a championship. During the regular season, Ryan calculated an ERA of 2.13 with over 8 K/9. He has not been known to have a low WHIP, but in his comeback season, he kept it at 0.963. He and Kelvin Herrera held up the bridge to Wade Davis in the postseason, so John Axford will be Madson’s Herrera in 2016.
John Axford once led the NL in saves for the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2011 with 46. Like Doolittle, Axford is a power reliever, as his career K/9 is 10.6. Since his departure from Milwaukee mid-way through the 2013 season, he has bounced around between 4 squads. In 2015, John shut the door for the Colorado Rockies successfully 25/31 times, but his ERA was extremely high for a closer at 4.20. However, Coors Field is the hardest park to pitch in throughout the majors, as his ERA was above 5, while allowing 10 more earned runs at home than on the road. The Oakland Coliseum was 16th in offensive production in 2015, compared to Coors, which was number 1. Axford was a legitimate closer for a few seasons in the past, but in 2016 that pressure will be taken off, so he should settle into a comfort zone pitching in the 7th inning. Since his days with the Brewers, Axford has not had a set role, as with Milwaukee, he was the closer no matter what, saving over 100 games in 263 innings of work during his 5 years with the Brew-Crew.
These three players have the potential to compete in the same league with the KC bullpen, thus allowing them to help lead Oakland to the postseason. The A’s front office may not admit it, but they are preparing this team to go for it in 2016, whether they know it or not. There are currently no holes in the starting lineup and bullpen, but Sonny Gray does need some help in the rotation, so get that help, and the A’s could be looking at 88+ wins.
