The Athletics continued to add to their pitching staff on January 17 with reliever Jose Leclerc. Leclerc will remain in the AL West but for the first time in his career, pitch for an organization not named the Rangers. The 31-year-old has been with Texas since he signed as an amateur in 2010.

A Look at Leclerc

On paper, Jose Leclerc had a strong season for the Rangers in 2024. Leclerc struck out 89 over 66.2 IP, a number that ranked 15th-best among relievers (min. 40 IP). Not to mention, Leclerc posted extremely-high Whiff% (36%) and Hard Hit% (30.7%) rates. However, those numbers weren’t the whole story.

Leclerc struggled early on in 2024, giving up runs in four of his first five outings of the season. He began the year as Rangers’ closer, continuing in the role he had late in 2023 when Texas won the World Series. However, he was quickly removed from said role, in lieu of Kirby Yates.

While Yates succeeded as closer, Leclerc settled in a middle-relief role and pitched well, despite high walk rates. His ERA (4.32) was high in 2024. But, the other numbers on Leclerc’s ledger, including barrel and hard-hit metrics, weren’t all that different compared to other years.

Leclerc four-seam fastball is a strong offering, one that sits in the mid-90s with above-average carry (17.3” IVB in 2024). It’s a very funky pitch, one that not only rises but also appears to cut. Opposing batters hit .176 off the pitch, with a 32% Whiff%.

What really helps Leclerc is that unlike a lot of other relievers, the 31-year-old has a deep arsenal. Leclerc also works with a sinker, changeup, slider, and cut fastball.

His slider is an impressive offering that plays well of the fastball. Plus, it has above-average horizontal movement, running away from same-sided hutters.

Per the Athletics, Jose Leclerc goes to Sacramento on a one-year deal. worth reportedly $10MM.

Analysis

As long as the Athletics have Mason Miller — who we rated as the fifth-best reliever in baseball earlier this month — as closer, Leclerc slots in comfortably as the team’s main setup man.

Leclerc joins an interesting Athletics bullpen. The Athletics still have left-hander T.J. McFarland, who led the AL in appearances last season. Tyler Ferguson and Michael Otanez are also on the team’s roster. Otanez, for what it’s worth, was a reliable arm for the then-Oakland team late last year. He struck out 55 over 34 innings, most of which came from July 1 onward.

And, like I’ve noted a variety of times on this website, Leclerc offers the Athletics another arm who can give batters another look. He doesn’t throw as hard compared to Miller and Otanez. But, he does have a different arsenal and different arm slot.

It also continues an active offseason for the Athletics, a team that’s focused on pitching additions throughout December and January. The Athletics added starters Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, bolstering a rotation that struggled to find consistency. Their only two reliable starters last season were Osvaldo Bido and JP Sears, while Mitch Spence pitched well in spurts.

Now, add an experienced reliever to that bunch.

It’s the second notable reliever signing made public on January 17. The Mets signed left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to a two-year deal.