One of the Oakland A’s priorities this offseason is rebuilding the bullpen. Last year’s version was not a bright spot, especially after trading away top veterans Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson in July.
Overall the A’s 2017 relief corps was among the worst in all kinds of stats, including ERA, FIP, blown saves, HR/flyball rate, swinging-strike rate, and WAR. They were dead last in Win Probability Added and poor in the corresponding Clutch metric, though not nearly to the same levels as their disastrous 2015 unit. They managed to rise to the middle of the pack in K/BB rate, stranding inherited runners, and average fastball velocity, but clearly this is an area of the roster that needs a talent boost this winter.