Who Will Be the Athletics’ Closer?

The graphic above shows the zone from the catcher’s perspective. Harris throws both his curveball and fastball inside to righties and pairs the two to keep batters off balance. The issue is his fastball command struggles. The pitch often creeps too far inside, leading to walks – as you see with the 42% and 46% on the far right graphic.

Harris is a unique and talented enough pitcher to be a good bullpen option. He’s not a lefty that has to be limited to facing lefties only, but he doesn’t have the stuff you see with most closers. I still think he’s a good leverage arm and should get a shot at closing games, but the high walk rate and lack of high strikeout stuff to make up for it worries me a bit.

Mark Leiter Jr.

2025 Stats: 48.1 IP, 4.84 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 2 SV, 10.06 K/9, 3.17 BB/9 

Leiter was a sneaky good addition for the A’s that brings a high floor and stable track record. Each of the past three seasons, he’s carried a K/9 over 10.0 and a FIP under 3.80. His ERA has been in the mid-to-upper 4.00s, but that is more of a result of defense.

The veteran righty uses a sinker and split-finger as his fastball offerings, which has resulted in him being one of the better groundball pitchers in baseball. He uses his sinker up in the zone, then changes the batter’s eye level by mixing a sinker and curveball at the bottom of the zone. The sinker doesn’t generate whiffs but sets up the other two, both of which come with a 42% or better whiff rate.

To me, Leiter is the safest of the three “primary options.” He induces weak contact, keeps the ball on the ground, and still generates strikeouts. What I would look for in a closer is a guy who can find ways to get outs even with a runner on. A high groundball rate and above-average strikeout rate give Leiter ways to get out of jams.

Elvis Alvarado

2025 Stats: 42.1 IP, 3.19 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 0 SV, 10.63 K/9, 4.68 BB/9

Alvarado spent parts of seven seasons in the minors before debuting last season with the A’s. In terms of pure stuff, he looks like a closer. It’s an upper-90s fastball that produced an insane 40% whiff rate, paired with an 89 mph slider that produced a 41% whiff rate.

The slider doesn’t consistently have the type of movement you would want to see, but his low 19-degree arm angle gives the pitch enough uniqueness to make it difficult to hit. Where Alvarado gets into trouble is commanding the slider and the less-than-ideal movement flattening out in the middle of the plate.

If his sinker or changeup can get to the point where they are able to be thrown more often, great. If not, the four-seamer and slider are good enough that he can still find success with two pitches. Command is the only thing holding him back. If Alvarado can improve his command, I think he’d be the frontrunner to take over the ninth.

Secondary Options

Scott Barlow

2025 Stats: 68.1 IP, 4.21 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 1 SV, 9.88 K/9, 5.93 BB/9

Barlow’s 59 career saves might give him a leg up, but context is important. The majority of those saves came during the end of his time in Kansas City back in 2021 and 2022. Since then, Barlow’s control and velocity have trended in the wrong direction, leaving him in a middle-reliever role.

He’ll throw a lot of breaking balls, and it’s a coin flip if he’ll get one in the zone. A high groundball rate and ability to avoid barrels have kept him in the league, but he’s near the worst in the league at limiting walks. I think he’s a perfectly fine seventh-inning option, but I would be wary about throwing him in leverage.

Justin Sterner

2025 Stats: 65 IP, 3.18 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 0 SV, 9.69 K/9, 2.91 BB/9 

You can see a path where Sterner could carve out the role. The unique hitch in his delivery is deceptive, and his command keeps him from getting into trouble. Sterner’s sweeper rarely caught any of the zone last year, producing a .091 average and 46% whiff rate. Even when batters made contact, it was weak.

The four-seamer sits around 93 mph but does have a good movement profile. Throwing the fastball at the top of the zone and breaking off the sweeper low and away is a combination that could work. If he can develop a third pitch, or improve his cutter, I would have him higher on the list.

Intriguing Young Arms

Jack Perkins

2025 Stats: 38.2 IP (4 GS), 4.19 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 3 SV, 8.61 K/9, 4.19 BB/9

I would have put Perkins in the “primary options” category, but the A’s have yet to commit to him as a reliever. In my opinion, Perkins would be the best option on this entire list. His changeup is lethal, with the bottom dropping out at 90 mph. It could be a true putaway pitch.

Perkins’ sweeper also looked good last season, but his fastball, which sits 96, can be a bit flat. Something they can work on. To make this as elementary as possible, watch him throw, and you’ll notice the movement just looks different than other pitchers in the bullpen.

Luis Medina

2025 Stats: 40 IP (8 GS), 5.18 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 0 SV, 7.20 K/9, 4.50 BB/9 

Medina is out of options and running thin on opportunities. I think his days as a starter are over, and if he wants to stay in the A’s organization, he’ll have to carve out a role in the bullpen. He could get rid of a few pitches and focus on a fastball/slider/curveball mix and see if he could add a tick or two to his already solid velocity.

Others to Know

• Nick Anderson
• Eduarniel Nunez
• Gustavo Rodriguez
• Tyler Ferguson
• A.J. Causey

Final Thoughts  

None of these options is Mason Miller, don’t get me wrong, but there’s enough to work with here. The A’s are a team on the rise, but not quite ready to be called a true contender. For now, the internal competition has enough arms to keep it interesting, and the cream will rise to the top.

The 2026 season will be another in which the front office will evaluate options and get a better understanding of who could be the closer of the future – or if the need should be filled from the outside.