A's not done revamping bullpen after adding Hendriks to mix
Last week, the Oakland Athletics took a flier on veteran lefty Rich Hill, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal for 2016. The addition of Hill to a rotation that didn't have much extra room created a bit of a surplus for the A's, and shortly therefter they dealt right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for reliever Liam Hendriks.
As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out, the A's were impressed by Hendriks' 2015 season in the Jays' bullpen, his first official season as a reliever:
Chavez, 32, is just a year removed from free agency and the A’s are trying to rebuild their bullpen. Hendriks, 26, has four years of club control remaining, and the Australian is coming off a breakthrough season in which he pitched exclusively in relief for the first time and went 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA, with his fastball jumping from the low 90s to mid-90s.
Chavez's career turned around after joining the A's in 2012. A versatile pitcher, he spent time in the rotation and the bullpen, amassing more than 363 innings of work spread across 101 appearances for Oakland in that span (with 47 of them starts). Overall, he went 17-27 with a 3.98 ERA, though he was often the tough-luck loser due to poor run support.
A's GM David Forst emphasized to Slusser how important Chavez was to the organization during his time there:
David Forst tells me #Athletics definitely see Hendriks as a reliever and as a back-end of the bullpen reliever, definite set-up material.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 21, 2015
Forst also a big fan of Jesse Chavez's, says they had a great talk, but this trade makes sense for #Athletics and #BlueJays both.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 21, 2015
Improving a bullpen that was a big factor in the A's 2015 struggles is one of the club's stated offseason goals, and they're obviously hoping Hendriks will provide some stability. In 58 games for Toronto in '15, Hendriks posted a 2.92 ERA, striking out 71 batters in just over 64 innings of work - which breaks down to a 9.9 K/9 ratio.
Slusser also noted in her piece that Oakland's quest to revamp its bullpen likely isn't over, as they're still interested in adding someone from the free agent market (such as Darren O'Day, perhaps):
This move will not affect Oakland’s pursuit of a free-agent reliever and as The Chronicle reported earlier Friday, the team has interest in Darren O’Day, the top available reliever.
This Chavez for Hendriks swap is the sort of deal that works for both clubs - the A's get a promising reliever and the Blue Jays add a (mostly) reliable starter for the rotation.
So today #Athletics got a starter whose career rebounded after he switched from relief & a reliever who blossomed after move from starting.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 21, 2015
For the A's, picking up Hendriks by dealing from a position of strength could pay dividends in 2016 if things work out in their favor.
