The Ryan Madson comeback isn’t going to stop with winning the World Series and going away. He might not stay with the Kansas City Royals, but his MLB career could take another turn if he joins the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s might be in rebuild mode, which usually doesn’t mean signing 35-year old free agents. But Madson isn’t going to be expensive and played well enough in 68 relief appearances for the Royals last season to merit interest from other teams. He didn’t play baseball for three years, recovering from torn ligament in his right elbow and then finding it impossible to get a major league deal. The Royals took a chance and both sides made the most of it.
Madson is looking for a multi-year deal after proving he can throw and not fall apart last season, and the A’s might give it to him to fill the setup man role. He had a 2.13 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched during the regular season. In the playoffs, appearing nine times, he had just a 5.40 ERA with a blown save but also two wins to his name, and in the World Series he struck out five out of the 12 batters he faced in three games, allowing just two hits.
Madson has been in baseball since 2003, playing his first nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning one World Series ring and helping them get to another final a year later, losing to the New York Yankees. He has a 3.45 ERA for his career with a 7.9 strikeout rate per nine innings.