While looking at Long’s season versus his previous few, it’s evident that 2023 was his worst. Overall, Long had a -0.2 WAR for the A’s. Long also had his worst numbers control-wise with 21 walks in his 45 innings of work, good for a BB/9 of 4.20. Long was knocked around for a 5.60 ERA and 9.80 H/9 during the season and spent much of the final two months moving back and forth from Triple-A Las Vegas to Oakland. Long did a little bit of everything for the A’s staff as a reliever with five holds, two saves and a game started. Oakland acquired Long from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for cash on April 23.Īs was the case in San Francisco, Long was expected to provide depth to the A’s bullpen with the ability to pitch for longer stretches and even spot start if and when need be. They got both, but in return, Long had some of his worst outings and numbers to date. The Oakland Athletics acquired Sam Long just a month into the 2023 season with the hopes of adding some maturity and versatility to their staff.
