Last night the A's came to terms on a one year deal with reliever Trevor Gott, giving them a veteran arm that has pitched in parts of eight big-league seasons. Like Trevor May last off-season, he was also most recently with the Mets when he signed.
This past season, Gott started off in Seattle and held a 4.03 ERA (2.98 FIP) across 29 innings with 9.9 strikeouts per nine rate while walking 2.5 per nine. He was traded to the New York Mets at the Trade Deadline and saw those numbers bump up a little bit. In 29 innings with New York, he held a 4.34 ERA (3.43 FIP), he walked 3.4 per nine and struck out 9.3 per nine.
The right-hander sits at 94 with his fastball/sinker combo, but it was his 89 mph cutter that he threw most often, at 39%. He also mixed in an 80 mph curveball and an 87 mph changeup on occasion.
Part of his game is missing the sweet spot of the bat and limiting hard contact. He ranked in the 92nd percentile in barrel% last season and in the 68th in hard hit%. If he can find the right pitch mix in 2024 to keep hitters guessing, he has the potential to finish with an ERA closer to his mid-threes FIP based on the quality of contact he was giving up in '23.
So where does he fit on the roster?
Right now, the A's bullpen is likely to be anchored by Lucas Erceg and Mason Miller in the latter innings, with Zach Jackson and Dany Jiménez as seventh inning options. Depending on how Gott is throwing it at any particular time, he could be the ninth inning guy, or the first one out of the 'pen if the starter gets into a jam or doesn't go deep. That versatility is where the veteran experience comes in.
The A's will also have left-hander Sean Newcomb in the bullpen, who could fit into a similar role as Gott from the other side. Kyle Muller is out of options, and if he makes the Opening Day roster will likely be used in a bit of a mop-up/long-relief role to get his feet under him after he's struggled at the big league level so far.
The last spot in the bullpen could go to another long relief option, like Osvaldo Bido or Mitch Spence (Rule 5 Draft), or a traditional reliever on the 40-man like Angel Felipe or Michael Kelly.
If Ken Waldichuk isn't ready for Opening Day, that opens up a spot in the rotation for either Bido or Spence to fill. Given that Spence is a Rule 5 draftee and has to be kept on the roster or offered back to the Yankees, they could either start him out in the bullpen, see what they have, and then work him into the rotation, or they could just start with him in the rotation with Bido, Felipe, or Kelly in the bullpen.
In the coming weeks we'll put together a way-too-early Opening Day roster projection. For now, we know that Gott will be on the big-league club after receiving a one-year deal from the A's.
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