The Oakland A's have acquired a righty from the Houston Astros that will offer some much needed innings
The Oakland A's have acquired Brandon Bielak from the Houston Astros for cash considerations, per the A's. To make room for Bielak on the 40-man roster, Oakland has designated left-hander Easton Lucas for assignment. Lucas was acquired last season in the Shintaro Fujinami trade with Baltimore.
Bielak was drafted by Houston in the 11th round in 2017 and has spent his entire career with the Astros. In five seasons in the Majors, he is 11-13 with one save and a 4.65 ERA, including 155 strikeouts and 85 walks in 191 2/3 innings pitched across 70 career appearances. He has started 21 of those 70 career outings, and is 6-9 with a 4.50 ERA, averaging 4 2/3 innings per start. This season, he has a 5.
Bielak, 28, has been relying on his changeup and sinker combo this season, pushing his four-seamer to the third most-used pitch after it had been his main weapon the previous four seasons. Addressing the pitch mix could be one thing the A's are looking to do to get a little more out of him, but relying on other offerings is something that is becoming more and more common in today's game too.
It's also worth noting that with the addition of Bielak, the A's have three pitchers that rank in the top-11 in horizontal movement with their slider. Mitch Spence and Paul Blackburn join Bielak on that list. The A's have been in need of fresh arms since the beginning of last week, with Alex Wood, Paul Blackburn, and Joe Boyle all landing on the IL in the past 10 days. They also had that doubleheader last week that ate through their bullpen a bit, so getting a fresh arm on the roster, plus the seven innings Aaron Brooks put up last night, should help get Oakland back to where they need to be.Jason is the host of the Locked on A's podcast, and the managing editor of Inside the A's.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Houston Astros Pull Off Trade with White Sox for PitcherThe Houston Astros have added to their pitching depth after making a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
Read more »
Two Potential Trade Landing Spots for Houston Astros AceIf the time comes for the Houston Astros to deal this starting pitcher, here are two potential options.
Read more »
Would Houston Astros Trade Alex Bregman to New York Yankees?Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if the Houston Astros send out a staple of their franchise to a rival it would certainly signal that.
Read more »
Houston Astros Should Take the Chance on This Proposed Blockbuster TradeThe Houston Astros should take a risk and trade for this Toronto Blue Jays superstar.
Read more »
Houston Astros Trade Little-Used Reliever To Toronto Blue JaysThe Houston Astros made a late trade on Saturday that impacts the depth of their bullpen moving forward.
Read more »
Could Houston Astros Actually Become Sellers at Trade Deadline?If this brutal start continues, then the Houston Astros might have to do something unthinkable and start selling off some of their assets at the trade deadline.
Read more »