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The Oakland Athletics announced that Pat Venditte was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays, Cody Martin claimed by the Seattle Mariners, Bryan Anderson was outrighted to the Nashville Sounds, and Jason Pridie was released to allow him to play in Japan. Following their release and Barry Zito's retirement, the Athletics now have 35 players counting against the 40-man roster limit prior to the release of impending free agent Edward Mujica and non-tender decisions, with a further seven players on the 60-day disabled list.
Venditte, 30, made headlines by becoming the first ambidextrous pitcher to throw more than a single career major league inning since 1894. In 1995, Greg Harris pitched left-handed to two batters in the penultimate game of his career. Venditte got off to a hot start with the A's, throwing 5⅔ scoreless innings before going on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury. After returning from the disabled list, however, Venditte had trouble keeping opponents off the board, striking out 19 and walking 10 while allowing 14 runs in his final 23 innings to finish the year with a 4.40 ERA.
A's general manager David Forst spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser:
A's GM Forst: "We really enjoyed having Pat as a member of the organization in 2015. Beyond just his ability to pitch with both arms, (1/2)
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) October 19, 2015
2/2 "Pat earned his opportunity in Oakland with his performance on the field and we wish him the best of luck moving forward."
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) October 19, 2015
The A's acquired right-handed starting pitcher Cody Martin, 26, from the Atlanta Braves last July for an international bonus slot. Faced with a severe starting pitcher shortage, the A's called up Martin to start on September 1 and again on September 16, but he could not record more than nine outs, conceding five or six runs in each start. Martin also made two relief appearances for the A's.
Bryan Anderson, 28, re-signed with the A's in the offseason after serving as the club's third catcher in 2014 behind Derek Norris and Geovany Soto. In 2015, he served as the club's fourth catcher and played in games following injuries to both Josh Phegley and Carson Blair. Anderson appeared in four games, going 2-for-5 with a walk, a strikeout, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI sacrifice fly. Anderson could elect free agency following the postseason.
Jason Pridie, 32, join the A's on a minor league deal and had an impressive Triple-A season where he hit .310/.380/.515 in 540 plate appearances rewarded with a September call up. Pridie earned only limited time for the A's in September, and went 0-for-9 with a walk while appearing in six games.
Roster map
Today's moves and Barry Zito's retirement don't affect any of the main trade lines on the roster, though Barry Zito goes back to just being the progenitor for the compensation draft pick used to select Sean Doolittle rather than an active member of the roster:
