The Athletics signed lefty reliever Mike Zagurski to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. He has a September 1st opt-out. Zagurski, 30, opted out of his deal with the Yankees on Thursday.
Zagurski joined the Pirates on a minor league deal in January, but only made six big league appearances for them. In 47 1/3 Triple-A innings this year, he has a 2.66 ERA, 14.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, and 0.76 HR/9. Zagurski was originally drafted by the Phillies in the 12th round in 2005, a round which also produced Matt Joyce, Craig Stammen, and Adam Rosales.
The A's currently have two lefty relievers on their active roster in Jerry Blevins and Sean Doolittle. It's possible that rehabbing southpaw Brett Anderson will remain a starter with Bartolo Colon hitting the DL with a groin strain. Aside from Zagurski, the A's have a few lefty relief options at Triple-A in Pedro Figueroa and Hideki Okajima.
