(Over the next week, we will be examining each of the A's arbitration-eligible players to determine whether they will return in 2019.)
While other A's relievers may have earned more notoriety, Ryan Buchter was an important part of the bullpen in 2018. The 31-year-old southpaw went 6-0 with a 2.75 ERA in 39 1/3 innings in his first season with Oakland.
Buchter was especially effective against left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .169/.231/.265 slash line. He finished the season extremely strong, allowing just two runs in his final 24 appearances.
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The fourth-year pro earned $555k in 2018 and is projected to get $1.3 million in arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Why he might be a bargain
Buchter spent almost the entire year as Oakland's only left-hander in the bullpen. Manager Bob Melvin relied on him to retire opponents' best left-handed hitters, and Buchter did a tremendous job of that. He also faced a number of right-handed batters and held his own against them.
For $1.3 million, the A's would be wise to bring Buchter back, especially since there is a good chance they will lose Jeurys Familia, Fernando Rodney, and Shawn Kelley.
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Why he might be too pricey
Some might argue that $1.3 million is too much money to spend on a left-handed specialist. Most of Buchter's outings lasted less than an inning, as he was typically only asked to retire one or two batters.
Even if the A's do end up losing Familia, Rodney, and Kelley, they still have solid right-handers to turn to in Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino, J.B. Wendelken, and Yusmeiro Petit.
Verdict
For just over a million dollars, Buchter is absolutely worth bringing back for another season. He proved to be a reliable left-handed option out of the bullpen and only got better as the season progressed. While Oakland has other reliable arms in the pen, Buchter is their only left-hander and would be especially valuable against AL West lefties like Robinson Cano, Kole Calhoun, Josh Reddick, and Joey Gallo.