A's Continue Bullpen Arm Shuffle, Claim Bigge Off Waivers From Rays

After Wednesday's game, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay credited the organization for continuing to cycle through arms to find a group of relief pitchers that could have success with this club as the roster has been decimated with injuries. 

On Friday, that trend has continued with the A's claiming right-hander Hunter Bigge off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. The six-foot-tall 28-year-old had been with the Rays since 2024, and had some success in his first two seasons. This year Bigge has posted a 6.98 ERA across 18 appearances (19 ⅓ innings) with a 1.45 WHIP.

His 6.8-foot extension ranks in the 79th percentile, and has been a factor for a number of A's recent additions. A longer extension means that the pitcher's stuff plays up a little, and Bigge already averages 96.5 mph on his fastball, which ranks in the 82nd percentile. 

While his velocity still ranks well compared to the rest of the league, it's actually down a tick from last season when it was sitting at 97.6 mph. The results have been better this season, with a batting average against of .179 (.214 xBA) on the four-seamer, compared to a .231 average against (.340 xBA) in 2025. 

In his three seasons in the big leagues, Bigge has been a fastball-slider pitcher for the most part, while showing a splitter and a curveball this year. He threw a sinker in his first two seasons but has abandoned it this year. Even without the sinker, Bigge is enjoying the highest ground ball rate of his career at 42.1.

That's another reason the A's sought him out. Pitchers who can keep the ball on the ground can keep the ball in the yard, which is important for playing in a minor-league park in Sacramento, and potentially in Las Vegas in 2028 where uncertainty remains about how the ball will fly. 

Bigge is now the A's second waiver claim from the Rays in the past few weeks, joining right-hander Chris Roycroft, whom the club added on August 25. Roycroft has been terrific for the A's thus far, posting a 1.23 ERA across 7 ⅓ innings of work. His extension ranks in the 90th percentile and his fastball velocity ranks in the 74th. 

The A's have had him really dial up his sinker usage, thanks to the low launch angle he gets off it, and that has been leading to success thus far. The A's are hoping that similar success will follow Bigge these final couple of weeks, making a case for him to stick with the organization.