Athletics non-tender reliever Blake Treinen

There have been a flurry of moves today as the non-tender deadline approaches this evening. The moves have ranged from roster trimming to just free up roster spots to cost saving moves to all of the above. Such is the reality of this time of year.

One team that has been active today has been the Oakland Athletics. Earlier today, they traded Jurickson Profar to the Padres in a move that frees up a spot in the infield as well as some cash. Now, they have moved on from a reliever that was among the best in the game in 2018.

The move is an interesting one given that Oakland seems to perennial be in the race for a playoff spot despite a low payroll and a cast of characters that doesn’t scream “playoff run” in a lot of cases. However, those payroll constraints likely played a role in Oakland’s decision as they are simply not an organization that can play a reliever a significant portion of money. That, combined with the fact that Treinen came back to earth in 2019 with a 4.91 ERA and 5.14 FIP in 2019 after posting a 3.6 fWAR and 0.78 ERA in 2018, led to Oakland’s decision.

Given how dominant Treinen was in 2018, he will have no shortage of suitors in the free agent marketplace. As with all of these guys that were non-tendered today, it isn’t crazy if he ends up back with his original team, but it does seem likely that another team will take a shot at him for more than Oakland was willing to pay him.