30. Oakland Athletics
Fernando Rodney, 1 year, $5.2 million, 2019. Octagon
With a $70 million payroll, the A’s can’t afford to make many mistakes…so they don’t. They enter 2019 with just three players under multi-year deals: Stephen Piscotty, Yusmeiro Petit and Fernando Rodney, the latter on a $5.25 million club option. Although none of the three contracts is especially egregious, Rodney’s is probably the worst of the three.
In fact, given Billy Beane’s widely recognized view of the fungibility of relievers, his willingness to pick up Rodney’s option comes across as out of keeping with Beane’s character. Rodney signed the deal with the Twins before being traded to Oakland in the heat of last summer’s pennant race. With Oakland, he worked 21.2 innings and compiling a 3.92 ERA.
His role for the 2019 Athletics is probably open-ended. The team’s winter depth chart lists him as a fourth bullpen option behind Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino and Petit. But that’s a loose interpretation; the same depth chart lists Sean Manaea as the team’ No. 1 starter, and Manaea has already been written off for most if not all of 2019 with arm issues.
With his 64 saves in 2017-18, Rodney might also be viewed as an insurance policy against Treinen failing to repeat his exemplary 2017 performance as Oakland’s closer.