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Athletics Designate Tyler Nevin For Assignment

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The Athletics announced today that they have reinstated infielder Aledmys Díaz from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding move, infielder/outfielder Tyler Nevin has been designated for assignment.

It’s an unwelcome birthday present for Nevin, who will reach the age of 27 tomorrow, likely while in DFA limbo. He landed with the A’s earlier this year via a waiver claim and hit well for a while but has cooled off lately. He was slashing .325/.375/.500 through May 1 but has just one hit since then, leading to a line of .023/.192/.047 in his past 52 plate appearances.

Thanks to that rough patch and the fact that he’s out of options, he has been bumped off the roster. The A’s will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite the recent struggles, it’s not impossible to imagine another club having interest.

Nevin has generally performed well in Triple-A in recent years but not in the big leagues. Dating back to his 2021 debut, he has hit just .208/.309/.314 in 453 major league plate appearances. His 10.8% walk rate in that time has been decent but a .259 batting average on balls in play has dragged him down a bit.

But in 576 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level over 2022 and 2023, he slashed .315/.394/.522 for a wRC+ of 134. He hit 22 home runs and walked at a 10.2% clip. He can also play all four corner spots, which could perhaps help him serve as a versatile bench piece somewhere.

His continued struggles in the majors will tamp down interest but it’s not all bad. Even in his rough stretch that started after May 1, he drew a walk in 15.4% of his appearances and had an unsustainably low .034 BABIP, perhaps leaving some hope for a bounceback. After burning his final option year in 2023, he bounced around a bit in the offseason. He went from the Tigers to the Orioles via a cash deal, but didn’t make Baltimore’s Opening Day roster, which led to him landing in Oakland.

If there’s any interest left around the league, the A’s will have a few days to suss it out. If any team were to acquire Nevin, he can potentially be retained for four more seasons beyond this one since he has less than two years of major league service time.

Díaz, 33, dealt with both a groin strain and a calf strain during Spring Training and has been on the IL for the whole season until today. He’s in the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the A’s but the first season in Oakland didn’t go well. He hit just .229/.280/.337 in 2023 for a wRC+ of 72.

The A’s will undoubtedly be hoping for a strong couple of months from the veteran so that he can be traded before his contract runs out. He’s hit .261/.314/.429 for his career overall, which translates to a 100 wRC+.

A’s Outright Jordan Diaz

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The Athletics announced that third/second baseman Jordan Diaz has been assigned outright to Triple-A Las Vegas after clearing waivers. Oakland had designated him for assignment last week when they called up Daz Cameron.

Diaz hasn’t played in the majors this season. The Colombian-born infielder appeared at the highest level in both 2022 and ’23. Diaz hasn’t produced much against big league pitching, hitting .227/.276/.358 over 344 plate appearances. He was productive against upper minors arms over that two-year stretch, but his Triple-A numbers have cratered over this season’s first two months.

A .204/.288/.327 batting line in 111 plate appearances is well below average, particularly in the Pacific Coast League. It’s not surprising that squeezed Diaz off the A’s roster and led the 29 other teams to decline a chance to add him. This is the first career outright for Diaz, who less than three years of MLB service. That means he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency, so he’ll remain in Vegas and look for better form at the plate.

Diaz would be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of this season if the A’s don’t reselect him onto the 40-man roster. Abraham Toro and Zack Gelof are handling the respective third and second base positions in Oakland. J.D. Davis has moved over to first base, but he’s hitting just .220/.261/.367 in 115 plate appearances.

Austin Adams Exits Due To Neck Tightness

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  • The Athletics had a bit of a scare regarding right-hander Austin Adams earlier today in their game against Houston when he was removed from the game due to a bout of left neck tightness. Fortunately, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters (including Martin Gallegos of MLB.com) after the game this evening that Adams is day-to-day and probably could have pitched through the issue if necessary, though the club preferred not to risk it. One of several journeymen making the most of their time in Oakland, Adams has been excellent for the A’s this season as he’s pitched to a 2.65 ERA with a 3.01 FIP across 23 appearances with a whopping 32.9% strikeout rate. Adams has acted as the primary set-up man to star closer Mason Miller this season, and the 33-year-old is controlled through the end of next season, a fact that could make him a particularly attractive target at the trade deadline this summer if he can stay healthy and effective.

Athletics Place Ross Stripling On 15-Day IL, Designate Brandon Bielak

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The A’s announced that right-hander Ross Stripling has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strained right elbow.  Right-hander Brandon Bielak has also been designated for assignment, opening up a 40-man roster spot for Jack O’Loughlin, whose promotion was reported earlier today.  In addition to selecting O’Loughlin’s contract from Triple-A, the Athletics also called up righty Tyler Ferguson from Triple-A to take the other 26-man roster spot.

Stripling allowed six runs over 3 2/3 innings in yesterday’s 6-3 loss to the Astros.  Even if it is fair to assume that the elbow strain impacted Stripling’s performance in some fashion, it was another in a string of tough outings for the veteran, as he has a 5.82 ERA across 55 2/3 innings and 11 starts for Oakland.  His SIERA is a somewhat more palatable 4.66 and Stripling hasn’t enjoyed any batted-ball (.359 BABIP) or strand rate (56.4%) luck, plus his .328 xwOBA is well below his .364 wOBA.  The righty’s 4.8% walk rate has been excellent and he has done a very good job of limiting hard contact, though his 13.9% strikeout rate ranks in only the seventh percentile among all pitchers.

Even if the results have been spotting, Stripling has been able to take the ball every fifth day, which is the kind of stability the A’s were hoping to receive when they acquired him in an offseason trade with the Giants.  It was widely expected that the Athletics would also be shopping Stripling in advance of the trade deadline, yet this injury now casts doubt on that scenario, and potentially Stripling’s availability for the remainder of the season.  More will be known about the severity of the elbow sprain soon, though it is worth noting that Stripling underwent a Tommy John surgery back in 2014 when he was pitching in the Dodgers’ farm system.

The more immediate impact of Stripling’s injury is that Oakland is now down yet another starting pitcher.  Paul Blackburn (stress reaction in his right foot), Alex Wood (rotator cuff tendonitis), and Joe Boyle (lower back strain) are already all on the 15-day IL, meaning that of the five A’s pitchers who have made the most starts in 2024, JP Sears is the only fit hurler of the group.  O’Loughlin has been a regular starter at Triple-A Las Vegas and will join Sears, Mitch Spence, Joey Estes, and Aaron Brooks in the makeshift rotation.  The Athletics have off-days on each of the next two Mondays to allow for some flexibility in figuring out the pitching staff, and in perhaps buying time until at least one of their injured starters is healthy.

Given the short-handed rotation, it seems surprising that the A’s are parting ways with Bielak just nine days after acquiring the righty in a trade with the Astros.  Bielak has a 3.18 ERA over 5 2/3 relief innings since coming to the Athletics, and while he has worked exclusively as a reliever over 13 total appearances for Oakland and Houston this season, he started 13 of his 15 games with the Astros in 2023.

Bielak’s Statcast numbers have been troubling in each of the last two seasons, so he might be fortunate to have even the 4.11 ERA he has posted over 103 innings since Opening Day 2023.  Still, for a team that is so thin on starting pitching at the moment, designating a swingman with MLB experience puts even more pressure on the Athletics’ internal arms to pick up the slack.  The A’s weren’t able to simply move Bielak to Triple-A since he is out of minor league options, and it is possible another team might again look to work out a trade or just claim Bielak in his latest trip to DFA limbo.

A’s To Promote Jack O’Loughlin

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The A’s are set to call up left-hander Jack O’Loughlin, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via X).  The corresponding move isn’t yet known.

O’Loughlin is a veteran of six minor league seasons, all in the Tigers’ farm system prior to his minor league deal to join the Athletics this past winter.  The 24-year-old Adelaide native has also played in parts of four seasons in the Australian Baseball League, and pitched on Australia’s roster during the last World Baseball Classic.  This unique career path has now taken O’Loughlin to Oakland and to the doorstep of his Major League debut.

His time in Detroit’s farm system never resulted in any big league call-ups, as O’Loughlin’s 4.78 ERA over 86 2/3 innings with Triple-A Toledo last season wasn’t enough to catch the Tigers’ attention.  Somewhat unusually, O’Loughlin has never played any Double-A ball, as the Tigers promoted him from high-A West Michigan to Toledo last season without a stop in between.  After catching on with the Athletics this past offseason, O’Loughlin has pitched exclusively at Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 5.12 ERA over 38 2/3 innings, starting eight of his 10 appearances.

As always with Pacific Coast League numbers, a deeper look is required given the league’s hitter-friendly nature.  O’Loughlin hasn’t been helped by a .371 BABIP or a 17.5% home run rate, and the latter statistic stands out as particularly PCL-generated considering that O’Loughlin has done a pretty good job of keeping the ball in the park earlier in his career.  His 9.3% walk rate isn’t anything special but he has missed bats to the tune of a 25.6% strikeout rate.

It seems likely that the A’s will give O’Loughlin a look as a starting pitcher, given how Oakland is trying to navigate several injuries within the rotation.  Paul Blackburn, Alex Wood, and Joe Boyle have all been placed on the 15-day IL within the last three weeks, resulting in starts for journeyman Aaron Brooks as well as rookie Mitch Spence and Joey Estes.  There would appear to be plenty of opportunity here for O’Loughlin to stick around in the majors if he pitches decently well and eats enough innings until the Athletics start to get some of their personnel back.

What’s Mason Miller Worth On The Trade Market?

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To say Mason Miller's start to the season has the baseball world buzzing would be an understatement. The second-year A's hurler, whom Oakland selected with the No. 97 overall pick in 2021, has emphatically asserted himself into the conversation for baseball's top reliever. Standing at 6'5" and averaging a comical 101.3 mph on his heater, Miller is the quintessential power pitcher. He's burst out of the gates with a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings, going 9-for-9 in save opportunities and striking out an outrageous 51.9% of his opponents on the year. Eighty-one hitters have had the misfortune of facing Miller. Forty-two of them have gone down on strikes.

Miller allowed two runs in his first outing of the season and was just finally scored upon again yesterday, yielding three earned runs in 1 2/3 frames. Between those two appearances? The right-hander pitched 19 1/3 shutout innings with a 40-to-4 K/BB ratio, fanning an impossible 60.6% of his opponents.

Unsurprisingly, between his dominant performance and the current state of the Athletics, he was quickly speculated upon as a trade candidate -- despite entering the year with six full seasons of club control remaining. As one would expect, teams have inquired. And as you'd also imagine, the asking price is reported to be stratospheric. Miller is going to generate considerable buzz between now and the July 30 trade deadline. Given the massive amount of club control he has remaining, it's a stretch to call him a "likely" trade candidate, but it's a guarantee that teams are going to try. The big question will be how much Oakland will need to be offered to genuinely consider moving him.

Before we dive too far in, let's be clear: this is an exercise without a clear answer. There's no precedent for a pitcher -- or a player -- with this level of early-career dominance and a nearly full slate of six years of control even being available. That we're even talking about it underscores the current state of the A's: a rebuilding team in the midst of relocation whose rebuild has stalled because of nearly universal misses on returns for their top stars. If Oakland were competitive right now or at least seeing enough encouraging returns in the rebuild to think they could be a Wild Card club in 2025-26, this wouldn't even be as serious a topic of discussion.

That's not the world we live in, though. The A's have MLB's fourth-worst run differential and fifth-worst winning percentage. Their farm system ranks near the bottom of the league even after trading Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Frankie Montas, Sean Murphy, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, Lou Trivino, Sam Moll and more. The A's have painted themselves into a corner that's problematic enough that their juggernaut closer is already being floated as a trade candidate despite barely having a year of service time.

So maybe this is indeed an exercise in futility, but let's take a look at some of the most recent trades for big-name relievers and see what we can glean.

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Rob Manfred Discusses Mizuhara, Fletcher Investigations; A’s Stadium Plans

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters (including Evan Drellich of The Athletic) regarding the league’s ongoing investigations into allegations of illegal sports betting against Ippei Mizuhara and David Fletcher. Mizuhara had worked as Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter during his time with the Angels and joined him in heading to the Dodgers this offseason but was fired on Opening Day amid reports connecting Mizuhara to an illegal gambling operation in California, while Fletcher was connected to that same operation by reporting last week.

As noted by Drellich, MLB’s department of investigations has largely been deferential to federal authorities over the course of the investigations. Manfred suggested that this deferential approach was a necessary one, noting that federal authorities have “a lot more tools” at their disposal than the league does with which to conduct investigations in this situation. Drellich explains that while league investigations regarding legal gambling can be assisted by regulators and alerts received by the league’s central office, no such avenues are available in cases of illegal gambling.

“We have no way to know what an illegal bookmaker is doing,” Manfred said, as relayed by Drellich. “…by definition, in most cases we’re going to be chasing, usually a press report or a criminal investigation.”

Manfred went on to suggest that a more proactive approach to the investigations could risk “interfer[ing] in an unproductive way,” prompting the league’s decision to move slowly in its investigations of these cases while following reporting based on investigations from the news media and federal authorities. Reporting earlier this month suggests that Mizuhara is pleading guilty to charges of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return in relation with his alleged theft of more than $16MM from Ohtani to fund his gambling habit.

Aside from his comments on the ongoing investigations, Manfred also discussed the impending relocation of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas and their temporary move to Sacramento following the 2024 campaign while they await the construction of their new stadium in Nevada. Manfred notes that Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, which is the current home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, is set to undergo significant renovations in preparation for the A’s arrival next season. Per Manfred, an entirely new home clubhouse will be constructed for the A’s while the visiting clubhouse will be renovating, the field will have new artificial turf installed, and the stadiums cameras will be upgraded to accommodate big league broadcasts.

In addition to discussing the upgrades being made to the club’s temporary ballpark in Sacramento, Manfred noted that the timeline for construction on the club’s permanent ballpark in Las Vegas is a relatively tight one if the club is to begin playing there in 2028, as previously expected. According to Drellich, Manfred indicated that the A’s would need to break ground in Las Vegas in April 2025 if they’re to be ready for Opening Day 2028. That gives the club less than a year to gather private funding for the stadium project, of which they are reportedly seeking $500MM, and reach an agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding a plan for the club to meet its $1.1 billion in commitments toward the construction of the stadium.

A’s Designate Jordan Diaz For Assignment

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The A’s announced a series of roster moves Thursday, placing outfielder Esteury Ruiz on the 10-day injured list with a left wrist strain, selecting the contract of Daz Cameron from Triple-A Las Vegas and designating infielder Jordan Diaz for assignment to open 40-man space for Cameron.

Diaz, 23, was an international signing out of Colombia and eventually jumped onto Baseball America’s list of top 30 prospects in the Oakland system in 2019, the first of five straight years he was featured on that list. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2021, keeping him out of the Rule 5 draft. That roster spot came to Diaz after he hit 13 home runs in 90 High-A games that year, slashing .288/.337/.483 overall.

Unfortunately, the results since then haven’t been quite as impressive. He’s hit ten home runs in his 344 major league plate appearances but walked just 5.5% of the time, leading to a line of .227/.276/.358. That production translates to a wRC+ of 79, indicating he’s been 21% worse than league average.

His minor league production was still strong in the past two years but has fallen off a cliff here in 2024. He hit .321/.363/.513 on the farm over 2022 and 2023 but his line is just .204/.288/.327 so far this year. His 9.9% walk rate in 2024 is actually an improvement for him but he has just two home runs in 111 trips to the plate and the batting average is clearly not ideal.

He is now in his final option year, so there was a sort of ticking clock in the background for him this year. Since he’s gotten out to such a poor start, the A’s have nudged him off the roster now in order to open up a spot. They will have a week to try to trade Diaz or pass him through waivers. Perhaps a rival club looking for infield depth will be interested based on his previous seasons. Diaz can play the three non-shortstop infield positions and has even received very brief looks at catcher and left field. He can be kept on optional assignment for the rest of the year and has less than a year of service time at the moment.

Bumping Diaz off the 40-man opens a spot for Cameron, who will replace Ruiz in the club’s outfield rotation. The 27-year-old Cameron signed a minor league deal with the A’s in the offseason and been playing very well in Triple-A this year. He has drawn a walk in 16.4% of his 165 plate appearances and also hit six home runs, leading to a .307/.424/.577 batting line. Even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, that’s still 46% better than league average. He’s also stolen eight bases in ten tries.

Cameron has impressed in the minors before but has struggled in his attempts to carry that kind of production over to the majors. He received 244 plate appearances with the Tigers over the 2020-22 period but hit just .201/.266/.330 in that time, striking out at a 31.6% clip.

He exhausted his option years in that time and has been in the minors since then, with the Orioles last year and with the A’s so far this year. If things click for him in the majors this time, he can be kept around by the A’s since he has less than two years of service time. For now, he’ll join the club’s outfield mix alongside JJ Bleday, Brent Rooker, Seth Brown and Tyler Nevin.

MLBTR Podcast: The Likelihood Of A Juan Soto Extension, What’s In Store For Pete Alonso, And Corbin Carroll’s Struggles

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What do you think about a trade between the Tigers, who are desperate for hitting, and the Orioles, whose bullpen hasn’t been great? Detroit has a surplus of good relief pitchers, could they be trade partners? (21:05)
  • If Mason Miller were to be traded from the Athletics to another American League team and go on to win A.L. Rookie of the Year, would that team get an incentive draft pick? (26:30)
  • Say Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finish at the top of Rookie of the Year voting in the National League, will the Cubs and Dodgers get the draft compensation for having them in the majors the whole season? Considering they both signed MLB contracts, that seems antithetical to the new draft compensation for well performing rookies rule. (28:05)
  • Corbin Carroll? That’s pretty much the question: Corbin Carroll? Is there hope this season? How long can the Diamondbacks keep running him out there with no improvement in sight? I love the guy, I have as a keeper, and he was a big part of my plans for this season. Needless to say, it’s not going so well. (31:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Tigers Claim Easton Lucas, Designate Ty Adcock

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The Tigers and Athletics have both announced that Detroit has claimed left-hander Easton Lucas off waivers.  Lucas will be optioned to the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.  In the corresponding move, the Tigers have also designated right-hander Ty Adcock for assignment.

It was a quick stay on the waiver wire for Lucas, as the Athletics only just designated him for assignment two days ago.  The 27-year-old has only nine MLB appearances since debuting last season with Oakland, and the results have been rough even within that small sample size.  Lucas has a 10.45 ERA in his 10 1/3 career innings, with an ungainly 12.1% walk rate and only a decent 22.4% strikeout rate.  The A’s chose to outright Lucas after last season, and he remained in the organization after clearing waivers.

While the numbers in the Show haven’t been much to look at, Lucas does have a 4.37 ERA in 45 1/3 career frames at the Triple-A level.  That ERA is quite solid considering that Lucas has spent most of that Triple-A with the Athletics’ affiliate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and he has been particularly impressive with a 2.87 ERA in 15 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2024.  His strikeout totals since arriving in Triple-A have been below average, after Lucas recorded many more whiffs in the lower minors.

To make room for Lucas, Detroit has moved on from Adcock just a month after claiming him off waivers from the Mariners.  Adcock was an eight-round pick for Seattle in the 2019 draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2023 with 15 2/3 innings of 3.45 ERA ball over 12 appearances out of the Mariners’ bullpen.  Adcock has yet to allow a walk at the big league level and he had good base-on-ball numbers in the minors prior to this season, when his walk rate suddenly spiked up to 13.63% in 8 1/3 innings with the Tigers’ and Mariners’ Triple-A affiliates.

The small sample size caveat applies again, and it should be noted that this is Adcock’s first time in Triple-A, as the Mariners promoted him from Double-A Arkansas last season without the benefit of any exposure at the top of the minor league ladder.  With an 8.64 ERA in Triple-A thus far, obviously Adcock has some adjustments to make, but those could possibly come in yet another organization if the righty is claimed again.

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