Who is the Oakland Athletics' Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlook

The Oakland Athletics are off to a rough 3-7 start to open the 2024 season. While their bullpen may not see many save opportunities throughout the season, a closer who can see double-digit chances is still valuable.

Currently, the A’s have not had a save opportunity, so analyzing who will be given the first call is challenging.

Instead, we can look at relievers who have received a call in the later innings and, from there, determine who could most likely earn the team's first save.

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Dany Jimenez

Dany Jimenez received a ninth-inning opportunity on March 31 in a tie game against the Cleveland Guardians. Jimenez did not surrender a run but gave up a hit and one walk with no strikeouts.

On April 2, Jimenez was put into a tie game, this time in the eighth inning against the Red Sox. Jimenez looked much sharper in this one as he tallied two strikeouts across a clean inning.

Mason Miller

The other option for closing duties in Oakland is Mason Miller. Miller has electric stuff, highlighted by his fastball, which averages 98 mph. The 25-year-old had a limited role last season, as he suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out for a long period of time.

Despite his injury risk, when Miller is healthy, he can post elite strikeout numbers, making him the more intriguing option in the Oakland bullpen.

39 Seconds of Mason Miller's Ridiculous Stuff. 😲 pic.twitter.com/2VTyO5XWGU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 3, 2024

Miller has only appeared in three games so far, totaling five innings, with an overall 3.60 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, and eight strikeouts. 

The flamethrower has settled down after allowing two runs in his first appearance on March 30. Since then, Miller has thrown two multi-inning shutout performances. He pitched two innings of relief in both appearances, which is much different from a typical closer's workload.

Oakland could have given him these stretched-out opportunities to remain sharp before any ninth-inning opportunities emerged, or the team could have been attempting to slowly work his stamina back as he was used as a starter last season. However, for the time being, Miller is in the bullpen, and he is the most talented option there. 

While it would be best to find saves elsewhere, desperate times might call for some desperate measures. If you had to invest in one, I would lean toward Miller. He is the more talented pitcher in the Oakland bullpen and, at worst, should boost your strikeout numbers and provide stable ratios even if he does not see enough save opportunities. 

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