The Oakland Athletics have designated relief pitcher Kyle Muller for assignment. He was acquired in 2022 in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, which involved sending Sean Murphy to the Braves and William Contreas to the Milwaukee Brewers. Muller was one of five players acquired in the trade.
A vital piece of the return that the #Athletics got from the #Braves in the Sean Murphy trade, now designated for assignment…https://t.co/EUxaVZk2bG
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 13, 2024
Athletics Relief Pitcher Designated for Assignment
Muller’s Inconsistencies
When the A’s acquired Muller, he was recognized as a top prospect by the Braves. Muller used to be a starter and showed solid promise following pitching deep into games. Muller also earned himself the Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2015. Due to this, the A’s had faith in Muller, but unfortunately, in 2022, he recorded an ERA of 8.03. The 2023 season wasn’t revamped, with a 1-5 record and an ERA of 7.60. This season, his ERA has dropped to 4.22. Following his unsuccessful 2022 season, he was sent down to the minors. But being in Triple-A didn’t allow him to prosper. He sported a 7.26 ERA across 13 starts. The A’s continued to keep him in the reliever role in the majors as they had their hands tied.
He’s successfully improved his ERA this season, even with going on the IL with left shoulder tendinitis on May 30th. In addition, he had a promising walk rate of 5.1 %. But aside from this, he’s had his struggles with giving up home runs. As well, he needed much work to improve his velocity. The reason behind Muller’s designation, aside from his struggles, is also due to his out-of-options dilemma with his contract. But what had also attracted the A’s to Muller was that he has experience as a lefty. Overall, keeping him long-term was not something that the A’s could afford to do—especially considering that he hasn’t improved enough for them to consider him a strong enough piece in the bullpen. With Muller being DFA’d, starting pitcher Joe Boyle has been recalled, and Ross Stripling has taken over in the pen.
Main Photo Credits: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
