Oakland A’s: Potential landing spots for Liam Hendriks

Let’s take a look at three potential free agency destinations for Oakland A’s reliever Liam Hendriks.

Let’s call this one how we see it. Oakland A’s closer Liam Hendriks is the best reliever of this year’s free-agent class. No question about it.

Hendriks picked an incredible time to put together the best two seasons of his career, by a considerable margin. The soon to be 32-year-old was unhittable over the last two seasons, pitching to sub-2.00 ERAs in both years. These unhittable performances came just in time for Hendriks to hit free agency this offseason, and be well on his way to a large paycheck.

Of course, the Oakland A’s had the option to offer Hendriks a qualifying offer. This was never likely, as the Athletics have never extended a qualifying offer to anyone even in a normal winter. And after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, we know MLB owners have been vocal about tightening budgets thanks to the lost revenues.

On top of his combined 1.79 ERA over the last two seasons, Hendriks recorded 161 strikeouts and 24 walks in just over 110 IP. And for the analytics’ lovers, the Australian native has been using his rising fastball to baffle hitters. According to David Adler of MLB.com, Hendriks has been throwing his average 96.3 mph fastball, which rises more than three inches above the average MLB pitcher, in nearly 80 percent of his counts.

The market for pitchers, especially relief pitchers, has never been better. Let’s look at three potential landing spots for the Oakland A’s closer.

Philadelphia Phillies

Last season, the Philadelphia Phillies ranked dead last in the MLB in both bullpen ERA and WHIP. The ERA was ugly, sitting at 7.06 and the WHIP didn’t fare much better at 1.790. What’s worse? Philadelphia finished just four games under .500, at 28-32, and one game out of the expanded postseason bracket.

If the Phillies are to make a splash in free agency, especially in the form of Hendriks, don’t expect this transaction to come in the immediate future. Philadelphia is still in search of a replacement for GM Matt Klentak, who stepped down in October.

Whoever fills Klentak’s open role has plenty of work ahead of them. Even after posting a historically bad bullpen last season, the majority of the arms are headed for free agency. This includes Brandon Workman, Tommy Hunter, David Phelps, Blake Parker, José Álvarez, Adam Morgan, and Heath Hembree.

While one arm isn’t enough of a solution, signing Hendriks would be a great start. Of course, the Phillies still need to work on potentially re-signing free agents J.T. Realmuto or Didi Gregorius, but the talented offense and position player depth is there. It’s time for Philadelphia to start surrounding Bryce Harper with a winning product.

Houston Astros

There’s no doubt that the Houston Astros’ championship window is still wide open. Despite an injury-riddled bullpen last season, and a sub-.500 regular-season record, the Astros took the Tampa Bay Rays to seven games in the ALCS.

First things first for Houston is addressing the outfield with both George Springer and Michael Brantley heading for free agency. This is the team’s biggest and most obvious priority. Luckily for Houston, left fielder Kyle Tucker appears to be destined for big things. The 23-year-old crushed nine home runs, 42 RBIs, and added eight stolen bases last season.

Still, the bullpen comes next.

Houston relied heavily on rookie arms Andre Scrubb, Blake Taylor, and Enoli Paredes throughout the season after suffering lengthy injuries to Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock, Chris Devenski, and Joe Biagini. Because of this reliance on rookie arms, the Astros bullpen ranked 25th in the MLB in WHIP (1.524).

There’s just a couple of items on Houston’s checklist to return to championship aspirations. First, re-sign either Brantley or Springer to sure up the outfield. Then, wait for the healthy returns of Peacock, Devenski, and Biagini. Lastly, create one of the best bullpens in baseball by signing the big-name free agent, and closer of the division rival Oakland A’s, Hendriks.