Diekman, who was previously projected to serve as the Athletics' primary closer to open the season, is now likely to remain in the set-up role he frequently filled in 2020 with Trevor Rosenthal agreeing to terms with the Athletics on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Rosenthal is unsurprisingly now expected to get the majority of save opportunities after agreeing to a one-year, $11 million pact with Oakland, following a dominant 2020 with the Royals and Padres during which he recorded 11 saves in 12 chances and generated a 1.90 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Rosenthal also has a pair of 40-plus save seasons on his resume, while Diekman, highly impressive in his own right a year ago, has largely made his living at the big-league level as a solid seventh- and eighth-inning option. Gallegos notes the left-handed sidearmer's elite velocity could still earn him some ninth-inning chances when Rosenthal is unavailable or a particular matchup calls for it, but for the moment, it appears Diekman will revert to having optimal value in fantasy formats that factor in holds.