The Athletics have signed reliever José Leclerc to a one-year, $10 million contract reports MLB Insider Robert Murray. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the contract details. Leclerc, 30, stays in the American League after spending his career with the Texas Rangers.
The 2023 World Series champion reliever, José Leclerc, boasted an impressive 2.68 ERA with 67 strikeouts. A native of the Dominican Republic, Leclerc has maintained a strong career 3.67 ERA of 3.27 during his time with Texas.
José Leclerc Signs with the Athletics
Leclerc’s 2024 performance was marked by an excellent Whiff percentage of 36% and a hard-hit percentage of 30.7%. He also achieved a notable 35.2% groundball rate, his best since his rookie year.
Leclerc has been a key contributor to the Rangers’ success, particularly during their 2023 World Series championship season. With 473 career strikeouts and 41 saves across eight seasons in the majors, Leclerc has established himself as a reliable reliever.
Leclerc’s pitching arsenal is a diverse mix of five pitches, used in the following order from most to least: four-seamer (35%), slider (32%), cutter (16%), changeup (10%), and sinker (7%). His slider has been particularly effective, with a 49.6% whiff rate and a .119 batting average against in the past season, according to Baseball Savant.
However, Leclerc faces challenges in improving his home run rate. Addressing this issue in 2025 will be crucial for him to take his performance to the next level. Notably, Leclerc has excelled in non-closer roles, whereas his performance as a closer has been less impressive. In 2023, he struggled with high-leverage situations, experiencing command and control issues on the mound.
Leclerc’s career has also been impacted by injuries, including a shoulder issue in 2020 and an elbow injury in 2021 that required Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2021 season.
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