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Relief Pitcher Trevor May Signs with the Oakland A’s

Dominic Gutierrez / MLB / December 16, 2022

Relief Pitcher Trevor May Signs with the Oakland A’s

Right-handed reliever and Fortnite enthusiast Trevor May has signed with the Oakland A’s. It’s a one-year worth $7 million with up to $500 thousand in incentives and a $1 million signing bonus.

Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news first.

Right-hander Trevor May and the Oakland A’s are in agreement on a one-year, $7 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. May, 33, will get a $1 million signing bonus and can make another $500,000 in performance bonuses.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 16, 2022

In a corresponding move, the A’s designated outfielder Cody Thomas for assignment.

May will look for a big bounce back in Oakland after a rough 2022. The 33-year-old missed three months to a tricep injury, and when on the field he wasn’t much better. May recorded a 5.04 ERA in 25 innings, his worst season since 2016 with the Minnesota Twins. The bright side to it is he kept his fastball velocity up, averaging around 96 mph. He kept the strikeout numbers up as well, with a 27% strikeout rate and a solid 8.1% walk rate.

Outside of 2022, May has been quietly one of the best relievers in baseball. From 2018-21, he pitched in 175 2/3 innings with a 3.33 ERA. May was also just as dominant with the strikeouts with a 32.6% strikeout rate, which ranked 13th among 204 qualified relievers. In that time, May recorded 236 strikeouts to boost that percentage. 2021 was also his first season with the New York Mets, posting a 3.59 ERA with 83 strikeouts.

Because of the A’s lack of talent in the bullpen, May should receive plenty of high-leverage situations. Being a closer is a possibility as well since the A’s don’t have a solidified closer. A.J. Puk and Dany Jimenez spent most of their time as closers last season, but the inexperience of the bullpen as a whole will give May plenty of chances to bounce back.

This is surprisingly the third free agent the A’s have signed so far. Earlier this month, they signed utility players Aledmys Diaz and Jace Peterson to two-year deals. Between the three players, the A’s have committed over $30 million which isn’t a very Oakland thing to do. The main goal is to provide some stability in their young lineup and use these signings as potential trade pieces at the deadline.

It’s a good one-year, bounce-back deal for May. The pitcher-friendly Coliseum should help him tremendously and will provide a solid multi-inning option for the A’s bullpen.