4. Osvaldo Bido, SP, Athletics
Osvaldo Bido doesn't necessarily fit in here in the same way the three players before him do, however, this is an exciting arm I wanted to show some love to.
Bido just finished up his second season in the big leagues, and his first with the A's, but neither were quite long enough to be considered full seasons. He delivered 63.1 innings for the club last year, and while the rotation didn't lose anyone notable as is the theme here, there are a lot of innings up for grabs in Sacramento in 2025.
The A's had only one qualified starter in 2024, that being J.P. Sears. They brought in both Luis Severino from the Mets and Jeffrey Springs from the Rays to bolster the rotation, but outside of those two and Sears, the other two spots are seemingly up for grabs. I believe Bido should get a lot of those starts.
While his rookie year left much to be desired, Bido's 2024 showed a lot of promise. He posted a 3.41 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, and a .190 BAA. While he had seven appearances out of the bullpen and nine starts, Bido was arguably better as a starter. Both his K% and BB% were better as a starter, which is pretty uncommon as pitchers typically trade one for the other when they make the switch to either the bullpen or the rotation.
On top of that, Bido has a batted ball profile that will pair very well with his 17.2 K-BB% as a starter. In 2024, Bido landed within the 90th percentile or higher in hardhit% (27.0), barrel% (4.3), average EV (85.6), xBA (.181), and xERA (2.72).
Assuming Bido is given consistent starts for the A's, which appears to be the case in spring training, this is an arm that certainly can provide a lot of value as a starting pitcher with big upside.
Last 4 starts for Osvaldo Bido: 23 IP, 9.00 K/9, 1.17 ERA…the slide piece is GROSS. pic.twitter.com/RVg0JdJAjj
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) August 27, 2024