OAKLAND — The A’s added some much-needed experience to their bullpen on Friday by signing right-handed reliever Trevor May to a one-year deal.
The contract is worth $7 million and includes a $1 million signing bonus and performance bonuses that could earn May another $500,000, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
May had somewhat of a down year for the Mets in 2022 as he battled injuries. The 33-year-old posted a 5.04 ERA with 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 innings across 26 relief appearances. Most of those struggles, however, came in his first eight outings of the season while he posted an 8.64 ERA before going on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right arm. Over his final 18 appearances, May notched a 3.24 ERA with 25 strikeouts and six walks in 16 2/3 innings.
May’s fastball velocity still ranked in the 87th percentile among Major Leaguers in 2022, carrying an average of 96.1 mph. His whiff rate on the heater was also solid at 27% for ’22, improving as the year went along. From Aug. 1 to the end of the regular season, May’s 37.3% whiff rate on the four-seamer ranked fifth-highest among Major League relievers who induced at least 50 swings on the pitch.
For an A’s bullpen that was filled with mostly rookies and players going through their first full season in the Majors in 2022, May provides a big upgrade as a veteran of eight big league seasons who will likely slot into a variety of high-leverage situations. With 12 career saves under his belt, he could even find himself in the closer mix along with Dany Jiménez and Domingo Acevedo, both of whom filled that role at times last season.
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