It was a busy couple of days for Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane. After signing Scott Kazmir to a two-year deal as a free agent early on Monday, he then got down to wheeling and dealing with the Baltimore Orioles.
The A’s acquired closer Jim Johnson from Baltimore for infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later. The move closes the door on the A’s resigning their free-agent closer Grant Balfour.
The A’s made a second trade acquiring centre fielder Craig Gentry and pitcher Josh Lindblom from the Texas Rangers for prospects Michael Choice and Chris Bostick.
The 30-year-old Johnson led the American League with 50 saves last season, and tied with Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel for the Major League Lead. It was his second straight 50 save season, as he also had 51 in 2012. However, he also led the majors with nine blown saves last season. Overall he made 74 appearances for the Orioles, pitching 70 1/3 innings, with a 2.94 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He had 56 strikeouts and just 18 walks.
Johnson is eligible for salary arbitration and could be paid as much as $10 million next season.
Johnson was emotional about leaving Baltimore, saying, “Obviously watching how the changes in the last couple of years and being a big part of it … It’s been great playing there and for all my teammates, and watching that city transform the last couple years, I take great pride in that. Obviously, I have great memories looking back.”
Weeks was once seen as a top prospect for the A’s, but has fizzled of late, and played in only 8 major league games last year. The middle infielder did hit .271/.376/.369 with four home runs, 40 RBI, and 17 stolen bases over 130 games in Triple-A. He will turn 27 in January.
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Gentry, 30, is very fast, and an excellent defensive centre fielder, something that Oakland can always use in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He hit .280/.373/.386 with two home runs, 22 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 39 runs for the Rangers in just 246 at bats last season.
The 26-year-old Lindblom is a right handed pitcher who went 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA and 1.468 WHIP in eight games (the only five starts of his career) for the Rangers. Over 3 years in the majors he has 28 appearances with the Rangers, Dodgers, and Angels with a 5-8 record, 3.82 ERA and 1.311 WHIP in 132 innings pitched.
The 23-year-old Choice was the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft, ranked as a consensus top-100 prospect coming into this year. The outfilder hit .302 with 14 home runs and an .835 OPS in 132 games at Triple-A.
Chris Bostick, 20, was a 44th round pick of the A’s in 2011. He hit .282/.354/.452 at Single-A Beloit.
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