Oakland Athletics Roundup: Pat Venditte, Jason Pridie Gone; Barry Zito Retires
Oakland Athletics Roundup: Tuesday, October 20
Monday was a big day for the Oakland Athletics, as 2002 Cy Young Winner Barry Zito announced his retirement from the game. But perhaps more importantly, the A’s made several changes to their current roster, freeing up room to make some moves after the season.
Maybe the front office thought the playoffs would be a good cover to sneak a few players through waivers, but that proved not to be the case. Switch-pitching reliever Pat Venditte almost made it through, but was snagged by the Toronto Blue Jays. Right-hander Cody Martin was also claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners.
On the position player side of things, the A’s outrighted catcher Bryan Anderson to Triple-A Nashville, after he did manage to make it through the waiver process. The team also released outfielder Jason Pridie, who had asked for his release so that he could accept an offer to play in Japan.
The loss of Venditte was certainly the biggest surprise, as he performed well enough with the A’s last season to warrant a shot in Spring Training. However, all of the moves will give the A’s a chance to sign players who can have a bigger impact on the team next season.
In Case You Missed It:
A Heartfelt Goodbye to Barry Zito – Oakland Athletics pitcher and 2002 Cy Young winner Barry Zito announced his retirement on Monday, saying goodbye to the fans in a heartfelt contribution to The Players’ Tribune. Andrew Dambrauskas talks about what Zito has meant to the Athletics’ organization and the fans over his career.
A’s Should Target Royals’ Reliever Ryan Madson – The loss of Venditte means there’s plenty of room in the Athletics’ bullpen, where almost no job is safe heading into the 2016 season. One potential free agent target? Right-hander Ryan Madson.
Oakland Athletics’ 2015 Team Award Winners – Samantha Riley breaks down the best players on the 2015 Athletics, handing out team awards to the season’s top performers. Agree? Disagree? Be sure to comment and share your opinion.
#Athletics:
Pat Venditte tells me he can't thank #Athletics enough for opportunity they gave him. "To be honest, I loved every second of my time there."
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) October 19, 2015
#Athletics also announce that Jason Pridie was released to play in Japan and Bryan Anderson was outrighted to Nashville
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) October 19, 2015
Barry Zito retires, but we will never forget his awesome leg kick: https://t.co/UUaIcotiYB pic.twitter.com/ZdMZeoUHT0
— MLB (@MLB) October 19, 2015
Around the Web:
The Players’ Tribune: What Baseball Taught Me – In case you missed it, don’t forget to read Barry Zito’s official retirement statement from The Players’ Tribune.
MiLB.com: Renato Nunez Hits Three Home Runs in Arizona Fall League Game – On Monday, infield prospect Renato Nunez became the second Oakland Athletic to have a multi-homer game in Arizona Fall League – and it’s only just getting started.