The 31-year-old Krook also signed a minor league pact with the A’s around this time last year. He was added to the 40-man roster in mid-May, but was designated for assignment just over a week later. He was claimed by the Guardians, but they kept him on an optional assignment for the rest of the year, meaning he never pitched for that club at the big league level. At the end of the season he was dropped outright from the 40-man squad. Being straight earlier in his career, he had the right to opt for free agency, and he did, allowing the A’s to return to him on this deal.
The southpaw’s Major League track record technically includes three separate big league seasons, but is still quite limited and unimpressive. He appeared in four games for the 2023 Yankees, one game with the Orioles last year and three with the A’s this year. In those eight games, he has allowed 15 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, giving him a 16.20 earned run average in his big league career.
Obviously, his minor league track record is greater, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Going back to 2023, his first year as a primary reliever, he pitched 125 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.94 ERA. His 16.7% walk rate in that time is way too high, but he also struck out 32% of batters. That includes 48 innings in 2025 with a 3.19 ERA, 29.8% strikeout rate, 15.6% walk rate and 65.1% groundball rate. His speed isn’t even really 90 miles per hour, but he can move well on his pitches, allowing him to miss bats and barrels.
The A’s currently have Hogan Harris And Brady Basso as lefty relievers on their 40-man roster. Jared Shuster was outrighted earlier this month and gives the A’s a non-roster option. Krook now joins Shuster in that category. If Krook ultimately gets a roster spot, he’ll be out of options, but he’s also cheap and controllable since he’s been in the big league for less than a year.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images
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