Athletics take chance on promising young bullpen arms

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN ANTONIO -- Last offseason, the A’s took fliers on Tyler Ferguson and Michel Ota?ez, an intriguing pair of career Minor Leaguers still seeking their first big league opportunities. By the end of the season, those two right-handers emerged as reliable back-end bullpen arms alongside All-Star closer Mason Miller.

The A’s are looking to strike gold again in similar fashion with their most recent acquisitions. Earlier this week, the club made two additions to its 40-man roster by claiming Justin Sterner off waivers from the Rays and Anthony Maldonado from the Marlins.

On hand for the General Managers Meetings at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, A’s general manager David Forst spoke highly of the two right-handers.

“Both have quality right-handed stuff and had a lot of success in Triple-A last year,” Forst told MLB.com on Tuesday. “These are the kind of guys that we’re hoping to rebuild our bullpen with.”

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The bullpen was a strength for a young A’s club that improved upon its 2023 record by 19 games last season, as relievers combined for a 3.83 ERA that ranked 13th-lowest in the Majors. But with departing free agents T.J. McFarland and Scott Alexander, along with right-hander Austin Adams getting outrighted off the 40-man roster, the A’s figure to enter Spring Training with a few bullpen spots up for grabs.

Sterner and Maldonado are not necessarily locks to fill those vacancies, though they are expected to be in the mix. It’s a situation similar to the one Ferguson and Ota?ez found themselves in last spring with the A’s. Both began the regular season in the Minors before debuting in the Majors later in the year.

“We had a lot of success last year with Minor League free agents and guys that were looking for an opportunity,” Forst said. “I would put [Sterner and Maldonado] in the same category as guys who have performed everywhere they’ve been. Hopefully, this is a good opportunity for them.”

Here’s a closer look at the two new A’s bullpen hopefuls:

RHP Justin Sterner
2024 (Triple-A Durham) stats: 34 games (one start), 3.28 ERA, 60 strikeouts and 17 walks in 46 2/3 innings pitched

Sterner, 28, had no offers to play college ball after graduating from Dana Hills High School in California and instead went without throwing a baseball for the next two years while on a mission to Samoa. Upon returning, he walked on to the baseball team at Brigham Young University in 2018 and pitched three seasons for the Cougars before signing with the Marlins in 2020 as a 24-year-old undrafted free agent.

Traded to the Rays in July 2021, Sterner earned a call to the big leagues last season with Tampa Bay. He appeared in two games, allowing one earned run while striking out four batters in four innings. His three-pitch arsenal includes a fastball that averaged 93.4 mph last season along with a cutter and sweeper.

RHP Anthony Maldonado (A’s No. 23 prospect)
2024 (Triple-A Jacksonville) stats: 33 games, 4.66 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 22 walks in 46 1/3 innings pitched

An 11th-round pick by the Marlins in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Bethune-Cookman University, Maldonado immediately shifted to a bullpen role as a professional and thrived throughout the Minors before getting his first call to the Majors last season. After initial success in the big leagues, Maldonado encountered some struggles and shuffled up and down from the Minors, posting a 5.68 ERA in 16 relief appearances for Miami with 11 strikeouts and 12 walks in 19 innings.

What makes Maldonado, 26, an intriguing arm is that he relies heavily on one pitch: his slider. It’s a 70-grade offering that sits around 83-85 mph that generated big swing-and-miss (46 percent) and chase (37 percent) rates in 2024. He also mixes in a low-90s sinker that elicits groundballs but does not miss a ton of bats. Succeeding in the Majors with one quality pitch is no easy feat, but it is one he will look to accomplish with the A’s.