Alvarado was DFA'd by the Pirates last January, but was claimed by the Athletics one day later and given the chance to compete for a spot in their Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old fell short in his bid, but made his MLB debut last May after demonstrating high strikeout upside in the minors. The right-hander averaged 98.7 mph on his four-seamer, which produced the highest whiff rate for that pitch type (minimum of 300 pitches) at 39.6 percent. That mark is even more impressive when you look at the names right behind him on that leaderboard: Edwin Diaz (39.4 percent), Devin Williams (38.0 percent) and former teammate Mason Miller (37.5 percent). When Miller was traded last summer, fantasy managers speculated that Alvarado could replace him as the A's closer, but the Dominican native did not record a save. Alvarado could take on more high-leverage work in 2026, but improving his command - he walked 22 across 42.1 innings last year - will go a long way towards earning those chances. Read Past Outlooks