The Oakland A’s exercised their $5.5 million option on right-handed reliever Yusmeiro Petit, in perhaps what was one of the easier decisions for the organization this offseason.
Petit had a 2.71 ERA and and a .194 opponents batting average in 83.1 innings. Perhaps the most telling stat: Petit appeared in 80 games, which led the American League.
He was manager Bob Melvin’s go-to guy, never wavering in his dominance and resilience even in the face of adversity. Petit’s father, Alberto, died in September. Complicated travel plans had Petit decide to forgo a trip to his hometown of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and stay with the team.