2023 Athletics Season in Review: Jeurys Familia

The Oakland Athletics signed reliever Jeurys Familia at the end of spring training after he was let go by the Diamondbacks. The A’s gave him an opportunity in the back end of their bullpen, but he struggled and was gone by early May.

How Acquired

Familia went to Spring Training with Arizona, but was let go on March 24. Oakland signed him two days later to a one-year deal.

What were the expectations?

The Athletics were hoping that Familia could regain some of the form he showed earlier in his career and help strengthen the back end of the bullpen. The hope could have been that Familia would show enough improvement so that he could be flipped at the trade deadline.

2023 Results

The results weren’t pretty as Familia allowed 13 hits, 13 walks and nine earned runs in 14 appearances and 12 ²⁄₃ innings. He did pick up two saves, but had a 6.39 ERA and an even worse 7.20 FIP.

What went right? What went wrong?

About the only thing that went right for Familia was that he was able to garner a one-year deal from the A’s for the season. He struggled enough that the team cut bait with him after a little more than a month into the season.

2024 Outlook

Familia went unsigned after his release by Oakland. He just turned 34, but could again look for an opportunity next spring although the writing appears to be on the wall at this point in his career.