A’s roster moves: Osvaldo Bido optioned, Jason Alexander DFA’d

LHP Matt Krook and RHP Anthony Maldonado taking their places

The Athletics made a significant announcement on Friday afternoon mere hours before their series with the Giants kicks off, optioning starting pitcher Osvaldo Bido and designating Jason Alexander for assignment:

Taking their spots on the active roster will be left-handed reliever Matt Krook and right-handed reliever Anthony Maldonado, both of whom have minimal big league experience.

The A’s are clearly unhappy with Bido’s recent performance. After winning not only a spot in the season-opening rotation but winning the #3 role, Bido rewarded the choice by getting off to a quick start. Through his first four outings Bido posted an impressive 2.61 ERA in 20 ²⁄₃ innings, nothing flashy but he was more than getting the job done as the team went 3-1 in his starts. There was a lot of hype surrounding him during Spring Training and it was looking like the coaches were right. Since then things have been rough to say the least. The slump began in his next start where he allowed eight runs against the Rangers. A bounce back the next time out against the Marlins was quickly erased by three straight starts that saw him allow 13 more runs to balloon his ERA to an unsightly 5.82 after last night’s drubbing at the hands of the Dodgers.

For now Bido will return to Triple-A and try to figure out what changed over his most recent appearances. If he can rediscover what he was doing to be so effective in the first half of April then the 29-year-old righty will be back with the big league team soon enough. For now there isn’t any set plan for how the team figures to fill Bido’s spot in the rotation. Rookie right-hander JT Ginn just made his first rehab appearance a couple of days ago and could be an option soon but he likely needs time to build back up after missing a few weeks. Or if the club believes in second chances rookie righty Joey Estes could get another shot. He has a 3.86 ERA in six starts since being demoted back to the minors. The club has time to figure it out as they won’t need another starter until Tuesday.

The club also chose to designate right-hander Jason Alexander for assignment. This comes as no major shock after he struggled immensely in last night's contest. Alexander has given up multiple runs in two of his four appearances for the Athletics this season, including a meltdown in last night’s contest where he allowed nine runs to the Dodgers. The journeyman was always considered a depth piece and expendable and now he’ll be available to be claimed by all other teams. We’ll see what happens with him in the coming days but the club could always use depth in Triple-A, where the 32-year-old has thrived this year.

The first new face joining the team is left-hander Matt Krook. A former 4th-round pick of the San Francisco Giants and a once highly-regarded prospect, Krook transitioned from a starter to reliever in 2023 and would make his debut later that year. He would make four relief appearances with the Yankees but got absolutely destroyed, allowing 11 runs in just four innings of work. The lefty would find his way to Baltimore the next year and made just one relief appearance for the big league club all season, spending most of the year in the minors.

The A’s signed Krook to a minor league deal on November 19th as a bit of left-handed bullpen depth. In 12 games for the Aviators Krook has pitched 14 innings and allowed just five runs, three of which came in one meltdown outing. More impressively the 30-year-old has also racked up 21 strikeouts compared to eight walks so he’s capable of striking out a batter when he needs to. He’ll slide into the bullpen as manager Mark Kotsay’s second left-hander along with Hogan Harris. That will be a critical role he’ll be occupying with TJ McFarland on the IL for the foreseeable future. We should expect to see him at some point this weekend against the Giants.

Also joining the roster will be right-hander Anthony Maldonado. Originally claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins back on November 6th, Maldonado has been lights out for the Aviators here in 2025. In 12 ¹⁄₃ innings (9 appearances) the 27-year-old has allowed just a single run while collecting 17 strikeouts compared to just two walks while collecting a save. That’s the sort of performance that puts a player next in line for a promotion and he’ll now get his first crack with the Athletics. He’s already made his big league debut after 16 appearances for the Marlins last year but Maldonado will get a chance to stick around if he can bring his dominance at Triple-A with him to the big leagues.