A’s Sign Former Atlanta Braves Reliever with Major Upside

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00:00A's Sign Former Atlanta Braves Reliever With Major Upside

00:03The Athletics' offseason remains quiet but deliberate as they work through minor league free agency,

00:10and their latest pickup fits a familiar pattern.

00:12Wander Suero, a 34-year-old veteran reliever with flashes of past brilliance despite recent inconsistency.

00:19Suero, who has appeared in the majors in seven of the last eight seasons,

00:23joins the A's after brief recent stops with the Braves, Mets, and Astros.

00:27While his recent major league performance paints a stark picture,

00:31six one-third innings with a 13.50 ERA in 2023,

00:37followed by a single-game cameo with the Astros in 2024 that ended in walk-off fashion,

00:42there's more to Suero than that surface line suggests.

00:46The Athletics aren't betting on name recognition or past success at the big league level.

00:51They're looking deeper.

00:53Suero dominated in AAA for the Braves last season,

00:56delivering a 1.35 ERA and 2.62 FIP over 46 and two-thirds innings across 43 appearances,

01:05striking out more than 31% of hitters and keeping walks under 7%.

01:10Despite those elite numbers,

01:12good enough to earn repeated interest from pitching-savvy organizations,

01:16teams still let him walk,

01:17and his longest MLB opportunity during that time amounted to just eight innings with the Dodgers.

01:22The takeaway?

01:24He's impressed evaluators,

01:25but hasn't shown enough sustained performance or consistency to secure a longer big league role.

01:31Suero's arsenal is still intriguing,

01:34built around a 92-mile-per-hour cutter, supported by a change-up and an occasional curve.

01:39But concerns linger.

01:41He doesn't generate ground balls, he's vulnerable to home runs.

01:44And that's a risky profile in the Pacific Coast League,

01:48especially at the Athletics AAA Park in West Sacramento.

01:50Even so, this is a classic A's move.

01:54Suero is low-cost, low-risk, and potentially high-reward.

01:58With a season ahead that will likely demand bullpen innings from unexpected sources,

02:02a veteran with strikeout ability and recent AAA success could become relevant quickly,

02:07particularly if injuries pile up or the team faces another collapse like last year's 1-in-20 stretch.

02:14Suero isn't a game-changer,

02:15but in a league where bullpen depth is crucial and performance can swing fast,

02:20the Athletics are simply keeping their options open.

02:23Exactly what this signing is meant to do.