Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we’ll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who’s been given a chance because of a starter’s injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who’s starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we’ll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
It took less than two weeks, but the A’s have already removed their $10 million closer from the ninth inning. While Jim Johnson seems likely to get his job back eventually, Oakland needs someone else to close for the time being. Manager Bob Melvin says he’ll use a committee in the ninth, with Luke Gregerson, Ryan Cook, Sean Doolittle and Dan Otero all potentially getting a look. Cook normally would probably get the first chance, but he’s fresh off the disabled list so that seems unlikely. Since managers typically like a right-handed closer, that might lead to Gregerson getting the first crack at the job.
