MESA, Ariz. -- The Athletics entered Spring Training without a set closer, and by the time Opening Day comes around next month they don’t expect that situation to be any different.
“The next question is probably, ‘Who’s going to close?’ manager Mark Kotsay said on Wednesday as camp opened up. “Well, we’re not going to name a closer. I felt really good about the way we managed the bullpen last year and how we used it.”
After trading All-Star closer Mason Miller to the Padres at last year’s July 31 Trade Deadline, it was all hands on deck for an A’s bullpen with little closing experience. Yet from Aug. 1 to the end of the season, the A’s finished strong with a record of 28-23. Over that stretch, the A’s bullpen posted a 2.99 ERA, the second-lowest mark in the Majors during that span behind only Cleveland’s 2.93 mark.
Throughout the bullpen’s successful run, Kotsay mixed and matched relievers based on situations. Of that relief corps, Hogan Harris led the way with a grand total of four saves.
A majority of those relievers from last season -- Harris, Tyler Ferguson, Elvis Alvarado, Michael Kelly, Justin Sterner -- are returning. With that group still relatively low on big league experience, the A’s went out this offseason and added a pair of veterans in Mark Leiter Jr. and Scott Barlow.
“I love the way both of them compete,” Kotsay said of the two newcomers. “From Leiter’s standpoint, the splitter is a weapon both against right and left.
“From Barlow’s standpoint, I love the experience on the back end," added Kotsay. "The sweeper is real. These guys know how to get through a lineup. They know how to manage innings. We’ve watched it from this side.”
Barlow immediately becomes their most experienced closing option with 59 career saves, 53 of those coming from 2021-23 with the Royals and Padres.
“There’s definitely a bonus to having a guy like that,” Kotsay said. “This guy was an elite closer at one point with Kansas City.”
Barlow might end up closing some games for the A’s, but he’ll be just one piece of a late-inning mix. Don’t be surprised if he also works multiple innings, a role that several A’s relievers performed last year.
“It works to our benefit to be able to have multi-inning relievers,” Kotsay said. “I think that helped guys stay fresh. We managed in a way that guys had enough rest to come back from those two-inning outings. But we’ll see. You can never predict how the bullpen is going to come in and perform. You always have to make adjustments throughout the season.”
The structure of the A’s bullpen appears mostly set. Barlow, Leiter, Harris, Kelly, Ferguson, Alvarado and Sterner are likely locks to make the Opening Day roster as long as they get through camp healthy. That would leave one spot up for grabs, and there is no shortage of options competing for that job.
One group of competitors are the non-roster invitees, with experienced big leaguers such as Nick Anderson and Wander Suero in that mix.
The A’s could also look at some of their younger pitchers on the roster such as Jack Perkins, who debuted as a top prospect last year and impressed as both a starter and reliever before a right shoulder strain in August cut his season short.
“He’s a weapon that we have yet to determine the path,” Kotsay said. “We’re going to start with him this Spring Training with the mindset that he’s going to be a starter, then determine a direction for him once we get further into camp with where we feel the rotation is and where we can maximize impact for the team.”
There’s also flamethrowing right-hander Luis Medina, who is finally healthy again this spring as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
“I know he’s hungry to be a part of this group,” Kotsay said. “It’s a big spring for Luis. Our mindset is that, for him to be on the roster, it’s going to be in that bullpen role. It could be a multi-inning reliever or a one-inning guy. For us, it’s a good period to get him out there and evaluate him as much as possible.”