Ryan Madson didn’t pitch in the majors in 2012. Or 2013. Or 2014. But he *did* pitch in the majors in 2015, turning in a great season with the Kansas City Royals in which he pitched to a 2.13 ERA in 63 1/3 innings, striking out 58, and walking 14 en route to a World Championship. That great season after three inactive ones has resulted in a monstrous three-year, $22 million payday for Madson from an unlikely source – the Oakland Athletics.
Ryan Madson has agreed to a 3-yr, $22M deal with #Athletics pending physical, source says.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 6, 2015
With Madson, the “pending physical” isn’t just a formality – elbow trouble has been the story of the 35-year old’s recent career. He blew his elbow out in 2012 soon after signing a one-year, $6 million contract with the Reds. He made $3.25 million in 2013 with the Angels and threw just one inning in the minors while still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in April of 2012. He didn’t pitch anywhere in 2014 before inking a minor league deal with the Royals this past January, making the team’s Opening Day roster, and pitching like the Madson of old.
The deal is a major risk for the A’s – not only because of Madson’s elbow trouble in recent years, but also because he’s a 35-year old reliever and relief pitching is notoriously fungible. Would it shock anyone at all if Madson struggles and posts an ERA of somewhere around 3.50 next year? Of course not – that’s just how things usually work with relievers. One bad inning or bad month can sabotage an entire season.
Madson’s contract is the second investment that the A’s have made in a player with a lengthy injury history coming off a bounceback year following the one-year, $6 million contract they gave to Rich Hill earlier this offseason. Hill will likely slide into the rotation spot vacated by Jesse Chavez (traded to the Blue Jays for another reliever, Liam Hendriks), and Madson will presumably become Oakland’s new closer (depending on the health of Sean Doolittle).
While the A’s haven’t done anything (yet) this offseason as rash as last year’s trade of Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays for what amounted to a bucket of balls and a tub of Dubble Bubble, they’ve certainly had a busy winter. In addition to the signings of Hill and Madson and the trade of Chavez, Oakland also re-acquired Jed Lowrie from the Astros, non-tendered Ike Davis, and dealt Drew Pomeranz for Yonder Alonso and Mark Rzepczynski. They’re looking at a bullpen that will include at least three new faces in Madson, Hendriks, and Rzepczynski (which is good, because Oakland’s bullpen was a tire fire last season), and an infield that will include starters at (the minimum) two new positions.
Following a 94-loss season and a last place finish, the A’s needed to make *some* changes – but I’m really not sure they’ve improved their team all that much, especially considering how much better the Mariners have gotten this winter and how well-positioned both the Astros and Rangers look in the future. If everything goes right, maybe the A’s can make some noise for an AL Wild Card spot. But as constructed right now, I think that’s a long shot. The signings of Hill and Madson weren’t exactly low risk, high reward deals – there’s a distinct possibility that the A’s are regretting either or both of those contracts as early as May.
