Oakland A's add former SF Giants, Dodgers reliever on major league deal

The Oakland A's added a veteran reliever to the mix. The team announced that they had signed former SF Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Scott Alexander to a major league deal. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Alexander is set to earn $2.25 million plus incentives in 2024.

Oakland A's add former SF Giants, Dodgers reliever on major league deal

The A's are getting the band back together again! If Oakland's pitching staff looks oddly familiar, there is a very good reason why. Alexander joins both Alex Wood and Ross Stripling as pitchers who appeared for San Francisco in 2023 but are now pitching for the local rival.

Wood joined the A's near the end of January, whereas Stripling was shipped to the A's in a salary-dump trade at the beginning of February. For Wood, joining Oakland gives him a chance to start. It was evident that he was unhappy in a swingman role with the Giants last season and wanted to prove that he could still be an effective starter.

In Alexander, the A's are getting an experienced and reliable reliever. And, the fit makes plenty of sense for the nine-year veteran. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 2010 draft out of Sonoma State University. Some say that Sonoma State is the Harvard of the West and those people are me. Signing with Oakland gives Alexander a chance to remain in the Bay Area after spending the past two seasons in San Francisco.

The lefty reliever has appeared with the Royals, Dodgers, and Giants before joining Oakland. In that time, he has tallied a 3.29 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 6.7 K/9, and a 2.07 SO/W ratio. This includes an excellent 68.4 percent ground ball rate. He does not overpower opposing hitters, but his sinker is tough to get into the air.

His 2023 campaign was a bit of a down year as he struggled to the tune of a 4.66 ERA in 55 appearances. That said, it felt like there was an outside chance at a reunion. With Alexander off of the board, seven of the Giants' eight veterans players have signed elsewhere for the 2024 season. The lone exception is Brandon Crawford and it is possible that he does not return.