Justin Grimm was exactly the type of offseason move that the Oakland A’s needed to make. He had been a solid major league veteran before struggling over the past few years, a valuable piece of the Cubs’ bullpen between 2013 and 2016.
Pitching depth! And lots of strikeouts! Major League Baseball is frozen in a lockout right now, preventing any MLB transactions while the league and players association negotiate a new labor deal.
Bickford, 25, entered the pros as the 18th overall pick of the Giants in 2018 and eventually became a top 50 prospect, though he hasn’t pitched above the Single-A level yet.