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In a surprise twist to a deal that was reported earlier this week, the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies pulled a sleight of hand with 2013 No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel going to the Phillies as part of the Ken Giles trade. 

The deal was made official on Saturday, with the Phillies’ Twitter account confirming Appel as one of five players coming to the team. 

Appel has had a brutal stretch in the minors since Houston took him with the top pick two years ago. He owns a 5.12 ERA with 280 hits allowed, 221 strikeouts and 84 walks in 253 innings. The Astros did promote him to Triple-A last season, but his results continue to lag behind his stuff. 

MLB.com had Appel ranked as the No. 43 overall prospect coming into 2015, highlighting his power stuff while expressing confusion at why the results have never matched: 

Appel’s first half struggles in 2014 were difficult to explain, as his stuff never regressed. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, routinely reaching 98 mph. His changeup and slider give him a pair of above-average secondary pitches.

Appel has a good understanding of pitching and controls his whole arsenal effectively. His all-around package still gives him the chance to become a frontline starter in the big leagues.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark did note that people within baseball no longer see Appel as a future star, making it easier for the Astros to deal him, but this is a clear buy-low situation for the Phillies: 

The Astros failed to unlock what Appel showed at Stanford and convert it to success in professional baseball.

The Phillies can give the right-hander a low-pressure spotlight because they are rebuilding, let him re-establish himself in the minors early next year before giving him a shot in the big leagues next June. 

Appel is not far removed from being the top player taken in a draft that also included Kris Bryant. He may never live up to that billing, yet the 24-year-old has the kind of arm and stuff that every team can dream about. 

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For the second time in as many years, Jason Heyward is on the move, agreeing to a deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported the news. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman have since confirmed Heyward is headed to the Cubs.

Heyman indicated Heyward likely gave the Cubs a discount:

Rosenthal confirmed that both the Nationals and Cardinals are believed to have offered Heyward over $200 million. 

Wittenmyer added the deal is for eight years, while Rosenthal reported it was worth $184 million. Peter Gammons of MLB Network noted the deal contains two opt-out clauses, while Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago added the first opt out was after just three seasons. 

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explained why the Cubs splurged to add a premier outfield talent:

Heyward, who spent the 2015 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, is one of the unsung superstars in baseball. He’s not a traditional star, with his home run totals sitting in the mid-to-high teens for most of his career, but his ability to get on base, steal bases and play elite defense in right field has made him a valuable asset.

According to FanGraphs‘ metrics, Heyward has been worth more than five wins above replacement three times in the past four years. Even in 2013, he was worth 3.4 WAR despite playing just 104 games due to injuries.

The Cardinals opted to let the 26-year-old test free agency, with general manager John Mozeliak saying in September any negotiations between the two sides would take place in the offseason.

This deal is a bold risk for the Cubs, though Heyward was always going to have his share of suitors. One general manager told CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman last offseason that a $200 million deal for the former All-Star wouldn’t be a surprise.

“He’s the best defensive right fielder in the game. He’s young. He has upside. He’s a leader with great makeup. And his WAR is higher than Giancarlo Stanton,” the GM said.

Despite the large financial commitment, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported the Cubs may not be done yet this offseason:

Stars Heyward’s age don’t hit the market very often, so it’s easy to see why he became one of the most coveted players available. Now, Heyward takes his tremendous skill set to Chicago. He’s a true difference-maker who does so many things so well that everyone around him will be even better.

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Not content to stand pat with their current bullpen alignment, the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent right-hander Juan Nicasio. 

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Pirates announced their deal with Nicasio on Thursday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Nicasio’s contract is for one year and worth $3 million. 

The back end of the Pirates’ bullpen looks to be set, barring a trade. Arquimedes Caminero and Tony Watson are the righty-lefty pitchers who will serve as the primary setup arms with Mark Melancon closing games out in the ninth inning.     

Nicasio is a depth move for the Pirates, who needed another right-handed arm with Joe Blanton being a free agent. The 29-year-old was serviceable for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, his first full season as a reliever, posting a career-low 3.86 ERA with 65 strikeouts and one home run allowed in 58.1 innings. 

There are limitations to Nicasio’s game, which is why he’s best suited for a swing role rather than high-leverage situations. He had a career-worst 4.9 walks per nine innings last season and has averaged at least three walks per nine innings in each of the last four years. 

The Pirates are fortunate to have built up such a strong bullpen—Pittsburgh relievers led Major League Baseball with a 2.67 ERA in 2015—and Nicasio adds to the list of options manager Clint Hurdle has to play with next season.    

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com and ESPN.com.

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After a successful run with the St. Louis Cardinals down the stretch last season, right-hander Jonathan Broxton has agreed to a two-year extension with the team. 

Per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals announced Broxton’s extension on Thursday. Goold added the team “could still add another reliever” to fill out their bullpen for 2016. 

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Broxton’s deal with the Cardinals is worth $7.5 million and includes a full no-trade clause. 

Broxton’s 2015 season was a whirlwind. He struggled mightily with the Milwaukee Brewers, recording a 5.89 ERA and 41 hits allowed in 36.2 innings, before an August trade to St. Louis. He was a different pitcher after the deal, posting a 2.66 ERA with 20 hits allowed and 26 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. 

The Cardinals are taking a risk giving Broxton two guaranteed years with a full no-trade clause because he’s 31 and has been up and down with ERA totals over 4.00 four times since 2010. He did have his highest average fastball velocity (94.1 mph) since 2012 last season, so that’s an encouraging sign. 

There are a lot of questions in St. Louis this offseason with Jason Heyward still on the market and Lance Lynn out for 2016 after having Tommy John surgery in November, so keeping the bullpen that finished third in ERA last season intact is a good way to stay afloat in a competitive National League Central. 

Retaining Broxton gives the Cardinals a necessary bridge from the seventh and eighth innings to closer Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth. Broxton doesn’t drastically alter St. Louis’ expectations for next season, but he gives the team one less thing to worry about as the front office continues to explore major additions.

Stats per Baseball-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise noted 

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The 2015 Major League Baseball Rule 5 draft has come and gone without a lot of activity, which was expected, but there were still a handful of players on the move looking to make their mark with a new organization. 

By virtue of having MLB‘s worst record last season, the Philadelphia Phillies owned the first overall pick and selected Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tyler Goeddel on Thursday. The Cincinnati Reds followed by taking Jake Cave from the New York Yankees system, with the entire list of players taken here, per MLB.com:

Goeddel Gives Phillies OF Option

Goeddel was once highly regarded in the Rays system. He was taken with the 41st overall pick in 2011 out of St. Francis, California, but he has been slow to develop with the bat. 

The good news for the Phillies is Goeddel’s hitting numbers in the minors have improved in each of the last three years. He finished 2015 with a .279/.350/.433 slash line in 123 games at Double-A at the age of 22. (He turned 23 on Oct. 20.)

There’s still physical projection left for Goeddel at 6’4″ and 186 pounds, though time is running out for him to add more bulk to tap into his raw power. 

MLB.com had Goeddel ranked No. 24 in Tampa Bay’s system, noting he still has “a ways to go” before reaching the MLB level while also giving praise to his hitting ability:

Goeddel was projectable and athletic when the Rays drafted him in 2011 and he’s still working to hone his raw tools. He has a loose, line drive swing that should lend itself to hitting for more power once he physically matures. He knows how to use his speed on the bases and has stolen at least 20 bases in each of his first three professional seasons.

The Phillies are in a perfect position to take advantage of Goeddel’s talents because they have no expectations right now. This franchise is in rebuilding mode, getting a tremendous haul from Houston for closer Ken Giles on Wednesday, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. 

Goeddel may not be ready for the big leagues at this point in his development, but the Phillies are in a much better position to let him compete for a spot on the 25-man roster. If he hits, the team has a cost-effective outfielder who can at least be serviceable until they are ready to contend again and opt for an upgrade through trades or free agency. 

Reds Find Insurance Policy

After Goeddel was off the board, the Reds took their own intriguing outfielder. The 23-year-old Cave was a sixth-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2011 and got to Triple-A late last season. 

Cave has done nothing but hit in the minors, owning a career slash line of .285/.346/.391 in 380 games. The clear problem, evident from those stats, is he doesn’t hit for power. If he could even get to fringe-average in-game pop, his ability to handle center field would make him a big leaguer. 

MLB.com‘s scouting report praises Cave’s all-around talent and his ability to work counts in his favor:

Cave flashes all-around ability and draws praise for his constant hustle. He barrels balls and isn’t fazed by breaking pitches, so he should hit for average, provided he tightens his strike-zone discipline. There’s some question as to whether he can get to average power because most of his pop goes to the gaps, and he homered just nine times in his first 248 pro games. 

The Reds are a terrific landing spot for a player like Cave. General manager Walt Jocketty is in selling mode coming off of a 98-loss season. Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce are perpetually on the trading block, even though neither player has been moved yet.

Billy Hamilton is as much fun to watch as any player in MLB when he gets on base, but the speedster had a .274 on-base percentage and .289 slugging percentage in 2015. Cave’s power looks Bryce Harper-esque compared to Hamilton.

As great as Hamilton is with the glove in center field—FanGraphs ranked him third, behind Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier and Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain, in defensive value last year—the Reds cannot afford to have his bat penciled in their lineup every day. 

Cave should be given the chance to start in center field for the Reds next season. He’s a better hitter than any other option they have at the position right now, and he’s going to make the major league minimum. 

Padres Get Experienced Blash

Blash, who was selected by the Oakland Athletics before being dealt to the San Diego Padres, per Fox Sports, is the kind of player who epitomizes this new era of the Rule 5 draft. He’s a 26-year-old career minor leaguer who can be a valuable asset on a team in transition because of his experience at the upper levels. 

An eighth-round pick out of Miami-Dade College by the Seattle Mariners in 2010, Blash has split time over the last two years between Double-A and Triple-A. He did post an intriguing .271/.370/.576 slash line in 116 games across the two levels last season. 

That does come with the caveat of being much older than players he was going against, as well as playing 56 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but at least Blash took advantage of his surroundings. 

Power is going to be Blash’s calling card, if he’s able to carve out any kind of MLB career. Vince Lara-Cinisomo of Baseball America wrote in 2014 that Blash is “raw but extremely athletic and has the kind of tools scouts dream on with a plus arm and power.”

Given Blash’s advanced age, being raw likely means he will never be able to actualize his talents in games. He also comes with a red flag after being suspended for 50 games in 2014 for a violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

There are enough tools for the Padres to dream on Blash turning into a bench outfielder who deserves a shot at making a 25-man roster because of his experience at Triple-A, so this is a worthwhile risk considering how difficult it is to find power that will play at Petco Park. 

Stats per MiLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Dominoes are starting to fall this Major League Baseball offseason at the winter meetings, opening the door for deals to come fast. 

Ben Zobrist shook things up on Tuesday by signing with the Chicago Cubs, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. The ripple effect from that deal was Starlin Castro moving from the Cubs to the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, who were in the Zobrist market, trading for Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. 

Marquee free agents are still all the rage this winter, as there are plenty to go around, though teams currently seem to be playing things slowly while waiting to see if they can get players to accept deals on their terms instead of driving up prices. 

When the one big domino—Jason Heyward, Chris Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton—signs, the rest will follow quickly. 

The key is trying to figure out which side is in control at this point, so here are the latest rumors and predictions for key players available.

Baltimore’s Ultimatum

The market for first baseman Chris Davis has been slow to develop, leaving hope for the Baltimore Orioles to bring back the prolific power hitter. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Orioles met with Davis’ agent, Scott Boras, twice on Tuesday, specifically to discuss re-signing the 29-year-old. 

However, Rosenthal added in that report the Orioles told Boras “they soon might pivot” away from Davis if a deal isn’t reached. 

It’s a hard stance the Orioles have to take because Boras loves to play the market as long as he can to get top dollar for his clients, so they could be out of options if Davis’ negotiations get extended into January. 

The Orioles have made a strong, legitimate offer to Boras for Davis, with ESPN’s Buster Olney reporting it is for $150 million over seven years. 

Davis is smart to wait before accepting any deal because he offers something that every team covets: power. The 2013 All-Star has led the league in homers twice in the last three years and hit 26 in a dreadful 2014 season. 

That 2014 season is a big problem for Davis’ negotiating leverage. He hit .196/.300/.404 in 127 games and was suspended 25 games for amphetamines. 

How is a team supposed to trust that Davis will show his 2013 or 2015 form, rather than what he did in 2014, throughout the course of a long-term extension?

It’s one of the questions every franchise has to ask itself before deciding whether to sign a player, but Davis carries more risk because he bottomed out in spectacular fashion so recently. 

As a result, it’s hard to see any team surpassing Baltimore’s offer for Davis. The Orioles know they need his production in the middle of their order to keep up with a much-improved Boston Red Sox team and still-dangerous Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. 

Prediction: Davis re-signs with Baltimore for seven years, $150 million.

St. Louis Alternatives

The St. Louis Cardinals are facing big questions this offseason, largely because their rivals in Chicago have all the momentum after a 97-win season and the addition of Zobrist and the Pittsburgh Pirates are still as dangerous as anyone in the National League. 

The Cardinals also have to deal with losing arguably the best position player available (Heyward) with no obvious alternative, but Rosenthal has added one name to the mix:

Speaking of Heyward and the Cubs, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the team still has interest in the star right fielder even after signing Zobrist. Heyman also added the Cubs are looking at Denard Span “and others” to plug their hole in center field. 

In the event Heyward becomes too expensive for the Cardinals, Gordon wouldn’t be a bad alternative. He’s got an obvious connection to the state of Missouri after being drafted by the Kansas City Royals and spending nine years with the franchise. 

Gordon will also cost significantly less than Heyward by virtue of being more than five years older. He’s not the same dynamic talent, but their career hitting lines are very similar:

The Cardinals don’t necessarily need to add another outfielder this offseason with Matt Holliday, Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk locked into starting roles.

But Holliday and Grichuk combined to miss 148 games last year, and the Cardinals could explore trade options to bolster their starting rotation with one of those outfielders in the event they add Gordon to the mix. 

Heyward still feels like the Cardinals’ No. 1 option, and the team has plenty of television money that will start coming in for the 2018 season, but the long-term cost of Gordon is more in tune with what they can do. 

Prediction: Gordon signs with St. Louis for four years, $75 million.

New Dexter Fowler Suitor

One underrated free agent who will draw a lot of attention when the major players are off the board is Dexter Fowler, who is coming off a stellar year with the Cubs in which he hit .250/.346/.411 with a career-high 17 home runs. 

A team in the market for outfield help that has at least mentioned Fowler’s name is the San Francisco Giants, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. 

Adding Fowler would require some maneuvering for the Giants, who have two center fielders in Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco, but need someone to play left field. Fowler has played center field throughout his career, but has not done it well. 

Putting a player with Fowler’s limited defensive skill set in AT&T Park’s spacious center field has disaster written all over it. 

The Giants certainly know this and should present Fowler with an opportunity to play left field for them, where his defense can be hidden and his .363 career on-base percentage will play nicely atop a lineup that features Joe Panik, Buster Posey and Brandon Belt right behind him.

Ahmed Fareed of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reported the Giants will “go big for another pitcher or a left fielder, but not both.” They already spent $90 million over five years to put Jeff Samardzija in their starting rotation, per MLB.com.

Fowler does have concerns beyond his glove. Last year was the first time since 2012 and just the second time in his career he’s broken the 140-game barrier, so injuries have to be considered as he prepares to turn 30 in March. 

Yet for a franchise built to win now and in desperate need of another outfielder, the Giants need to find a solution this offseason. Fowler will likely be a cheaper alternative to even Gordon because his defense isn’t at the same level.

Prediction: Fowler signs with San Francisco for four years, $52 million.

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Seeking to strike while the closer iron is hot, the Philadelphia Phillies have traded right-handed pitcher Ken Giles to the Houston Astros. 

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, first reported details of the deal between Philadelphia and Houston. Per McTaggart, the Phillies are getting pitchers Brett Oberholtzer and Vincent Velasquez as well as a minor league player. Evan Drelich of the Houston Chronicle added the fourth player was pitcher Thomas Eshelman.

Giles has been one of the Phillies’ few bright spots since 2014, posting a stellar 1.56 ERA with 151 strikeouts while allowing 84 hits in 115.2 innings. He also racked up 15 saves last season after taking over the ninth-inning role when Philly traded Jonathan Papelbon to Washington. 

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said during an interview with MLB Network Radio in November that the team was “trying to add” talent like Giles before admitting his job requires being “opportunistic” to improve the franchise. 

Even though Philadelphia fans are likely tired of seeing a talented young player get traded after suffering through stars from the past era like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins getting old, with the latter two having been traded, it’s hard to find fault with this deal for the Phillies. 

David Murphy of the Daily News added another reason dealing Giles right now had to be appealing to the Phillies at this stage of his career:

For all the dominance that Giles has displayed over the last two seasons, he is not as valuable as a career back-of-the-rotation starter who has never eclipsed 200 innings in a season.

That’s not me talking. That’s the market. Happ might not have the stuff to become one of the best players at his position, but markets don’t care much for superlatives, and it is difficult to quibble with the verdict it rendered in the form of a three-year, $36 million contract with the Blue Jays.

Houston is giving up a considerable crop of talent in its package to the Phillies, but Giles is also a valuable commodity in this market for relief pitchers.

Ryan Madson, who is 35 years old and missed three seasons from 2012-14 before latching on with the Kansas City Royals last season, is reportedly getting $22 million over three years from the Oakland Athletics, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. 

For perspective, Giles isn’t going to command an annual salary of $7 million until at least 2018 unless he signs a long-term extension with his new team. 

Giles’ value will likely never be higher since he’s not arbitration-eligible for two years and is under team control for five. By the time the Phillies’ young talent arrives and they are contending for a playoff spot, he will be expensive given the actual value a reliever who throws between 60 to 70 innings provides. 

Before Giles was dealt, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports discussed Philadelphia’s logic behind making a trade happen:

Giles certainly doesn’t have the name recognition of Craig Kimbrel, but that’s just because the 25-year-old arrived in the big leagues on a bad team. Atlanta called up Kimbrel in 2010 as the team made it to the postseason for the first time in five years. 

Power arms with Giles’ combination of stuff and results are rare. He’s the kind of reliever every team wants, especially given how cheap he will be before hitting arbitration. Bullpens are built from the back, and the Astros have resolved their late-inning issues in convincing fashion. 

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The market for Pedro Alvarez has been slow to develop, but the 28-year-old free agent who was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Dec. 2 does possess more than enough power to intrigue teams searching for depth in the lineup next season. 

Continue for updates. 

Alvarez Reportedly on Brewers’ Radar

Wednesday, Dec. 9

According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the Milwaukee Brewers “have already contacted” Alvarez’s agent, Scott Boras, about the former first-round pick. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports first reported Milwaukee’s interest in Alvarez. 

“Certainly, their first-base needs have grown,” Boras told McCalvy. “And their need for power from the left-handed side is there. So if you put a plus sign between those two, I think the equal side, I would imagine, is they should have interest in a player with power like that.”    

Alvarez is an interesting target for the Brewers simply because he’s a lesser version of Adam Lind, whom Milwaukee traded to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, per the team’s official Twitter account. 

The one piece of logic to the Brewers’ thinking is Alvarez may have to settle for a deal valued at less than the $8 million Lind will make in 2016, per Spotrac.com. 

The Brewers are in rebuilding mode after posting a 68-94 record in 2015. Alvarez is a potent power hitter, slugging over .450 four times in six seasons, but he doesn’t add much else to the table with a .236 career average and .309 on-base percentage. 

Alvarez could hit well in the first half and become an attractive trade chip for a contender next July, netting the Brewers a decent prospect in return. There are reasons for them to be interested even if it’s a lateral move after dealing Lind away. 

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Major League Baseball is taking measures to protect fans by encouraging teams to add extra protective netting around the dugouts in all 30 stadiums. 

Per ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, MLB‘s new plan will insist teams have netting for all field-level seats within 70 feet of home plate on either side:

Fan safety has become a hot topic in MLB stadiums. Commissioner Rob Manfred said in August that discussions were taking place to find a way to implement new netting, per Paul Hagen of MLB.com:

This is a topic that is of serious concern, not only to me but more importantly to all 30 owners. We discussed it in August [at the Owners Meetings in Chicago]. We have a process ongoing where we are examining all of the relevant information.

So I think our goal to is to put the Commissioner’s Office in a position where we can make a complete recommendation to ownership in November and give people an opportunity to be ready to make changes for next year if in fact we decide that changes are necessary. 

At the owners meetings in November, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN), Manfred said a plan had come together, with final details likely being done in January. 

In August, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander publicly called for new protective measures after a fan at Comerica Park had to be taken out of the stadium on a stretcher when she was hit in the head by a foul ball:

That wasn’t the only such instance in 2015, as a game between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, also in August, featured a similar incident involving a fan being taken off on a stretcher. 

MLB couldn’t avoid the problem any longer, as safety has to be the No. 1 priority for everyone at these games. Too often, fans are injured due to line drives hit into the stands, and an extension of the netting would prevent many of those injuries. 

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The Oakland Athletics continued their bullpen rebuild by signing veteran right-hander John Axford. 

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported Axford signed with the A’s. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the deal. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the deal is worth $10 million with a chance to earn $4 million in game finished bonuses from the A’s. 

Axford is a well-traveled relief pitcher, playing for five different teams since 2013. He spent last season with the Colorado Rockies and posted a 4.20 ERA with 25 saves, 62 strikeouts and 32 walks in 55.2 innings. 

It’s been evident since the winter meetings began that Oakland general manager Billy Beane was focusing on rebuilding his relief corps. Ryan Madson agreed to a three-year, $22 million deal with the club, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. 

Given how bad the A’s bullpen was in 2015, it’s hardly a surprise that Beane would focus on that area. Dave Cameron wrote a piece for Fox Sports early last season detailing the problems Oakland was having late in games:

In 41 games, the A’s bullpen has amassed a major league-worst -3.7 Win Probability Added, so this isn’t to lay all the blame at [Evan] Scribner’s feet. His teammates in the bullpen have been just as bad in important situations and not nearly as good at other times, so he just got used as an example of how tricky it can be to evaluate the contributions of a reliever. 

Things didn’t get much better over the final 121 games, as the Athletics finished 28th in MLB with a 4.63 ERA and allowed the second-most home runs (74). 

Oakland can’t afford to get in bidding wars for high-profile starting pitchers or relievers, so Beane has to find ways to exploit the market to his advantage. Axford isn’t a game-changing addition, but he’s been a successful reliever who has 141 career saves and has appeared in at least 60 games five straight years. 

Axford gives the A’s options to choose from, whether it is in the ninth inning or other high-leverage situations. If their bullpen improves next year, the Athletics could be a surprise team because of how badly their relievers burned them in 2015. 

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