Athletics exercise $5.5 million contract option for Petit

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This article was published 31/10/2019 (2473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Versatile Oakland reliever Yusmeiro Petit had his $5.5 million contract option for the 2020 season exercised by the Athletics on Thursday.

The A’s declined their half of a $5.75 million mutual option on left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman, who came to Oakland in a trade from Kansas City on July 27 and went 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 28 outings for Oakland after beginning 0-6 with the Royals. Diekman gets a $500,000 buyout.

Petit made an AL-leading 80 appearances in 2019, when the 97-win A’s lost for a second straight year in the AL wild card game.

He went 5-3 with a 2.71 ERA and .194 opponent batting average. The right-hander — who agreed to a $10 million, two-year contract with the A’s in November 2017 — would have received a $1 million buyout.

The A’s also announced next year’s coaching staff Thursday under manager Bob Melvin on Thursday.

Bench coach Ryan Christenson, hitting coach Darren Bush, pitching coach Scott Emerson, bullpen coach Marcus Jensen and quality control coach Mark Kotsay will remain in their current positions while Eric Martins has been promoted to the major league staff as assistant hitting coach after serving five years in a hitting coach role in the minors.

Mike Aldrete moves from assistant hitting coach to first base coach while Al Pedrique goes from first base coach to third base to replace Matt Williams, new manager of the Kia Tigers in South Korea.

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