I think their rotation is pretty good. Jon Gray might be an ace, Tyler Anderson looks like a good mid-rotation guy, and then you have Chatwood, Hoffman, and Bettis as league average guys.
It's a minor league deal. He'll compete with Jimenez, McGuire, and Graterol for the backup job as things stand. It's not like there's better available on the FA market.
Chris Bassitt's #1 comp in the A's ZiPS projections that came out today is Jason Grilli. Those comps are so dumn that Szxymborskskki probably shouldn't bother with them.
Frenchsoup definitely shouldn't have dropped him in BORED. If he hadn't been hurt in a stupid pinch running mishap (thanks Farrell) he would have thrown 200+ innings with a ~3.50 ERA and 15+ wins. And he's a knuckleballer, so you can dream a bit on the soft contact skills.
A few things available from me:
- Scott Kazmir or Steven Wright for a 1st round pick
- Relievers (Biagini, Rivero, Baez, Givens, Ziegler) available for waiver or MiLB upgrades
I think it's very questionable if Desmond is actually a 1B. Valbuena has been a better hitter over the last few years and has played the position before. I'm pretty convinced Desmond is a < 1 win 1B.