A’s free agents: Red Sox sign Jake Diekman, White Sox sign Josh Harrison

The Oakland A’s had more than a dozen free agents come off the books this winter, and two more of them have officially found new homes on other teams.

On Saturday, the Chicago White Sox signed utilityman Josh Harrison to a one-year, $5.5 million contract, with a club option for 2023.

Then on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox inked reliever Jake Diekman to a multi-year deal, though the salary terms haven’t yet been announced.

The A’s acquired Harrison last summer as a deadline rental, and he made his mark with fans. His final batting line wasn’t great, but he made a ton of contact in a lineup that needed just that, and on defense he helped out at multiple positions with maximum effort. He’s an absolute joy to watch, bringing positive energy and having as much fun as anybody on the field.

It would have been great to see Harrison return to Oakland, but in Chicago he’ll get a chance to do what he did here, which is seamlessly fit into whatever the club needs with his brand of versatile and exciting play.

Meanwhile, Diekman spent a bit longer wearing green-and-gold. The left-hander was acquired at the 2019 trade deadline, then re-signed for another two years. In 2020 he enjoyed a breakout during the short pandemic season, allowing just one earned run in 21⅓ innings, earning him a sparkling 0.42 ERA and a finalist nod for the All-MLB Team. He came back to Earth last summer, but still turned in a solid season in setup duty.

Unfortunately the A’s bullpen blew a few too many saves down the stretch, Diekman included, and now both sides will get a fresh start.

Here’s the updated list of Oakland’s free agents, including info for those who have already signed somewhere:

• LHP Andrew Chafin
• LHP Jake Diekman (BOS, 2/$??)
• RHP Mike Fiers
• RHP Yusmeiro Petit
• RHP Sergio Romo
• RHP Trevor Rosenthal
• RHP Burch Smith (to Japan)
• C Yan Gomes (CHC, 2/$13m)
• UT Josh Harrison (CHW, 1/$6m)
• 2B Jed Lowrie
• OF Mark Canha (NYM, 2/$26m)
• OF Starling Marte (NYM, 4/$78m)
• DH Khris Davis
• DH Mitch Moreland

Best of luck to Diekman and Harrison with their new clubs!