Oakland Athletics continue to piece together a contender with Mike Fiers addition
The Oakland Athletics have to find ways to improve on margins other teams don’t, and the acquisition of Mike Fiers fits that bill.
The Oakland Athletics have to find value where other teams don’t have to, or just won’t. With a playoff spot on the radar in the midst of a surge since June 1, they were a trade deadline buyer but didn’t get a lot done.
But August has been a little more active for them and pitcher Mike Fiers, a rumored trade deadline target for multiple teams including Oakland, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
A six-game winning streak (entering Monday’s action) has put the Oakland Athletics into the second Wild Card spot in the American League. With a record barely above .500 at the end of May (29-28), the A’s are 38-18 since.
https://twitter.com/Athletics/status/1026530959695331328
Fiers went 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA and a 87:26 K/BB ratio over 21 starts (119 innings) for the Tigers this year. Home runs have continued to be an issue, with 20 allowed thus far (1.5 HR/9 ) after allowing 32 last year with the Houston Astros (1.9 HR/9), and his strikeout rate has dropped (6.6 K/9; 8.6 K/9 in 2017). But Fiers has offset that with fewer walks (2.0 K.9; 3.6 BB/9 last year), and put together a solid season.
Sean Manaea, Trevor Cahill, Edwin Jackson and Brett Anderson are the four starters Oakland has been rolling with lately. Cahill (3.12 ERA over 13 starts) and Jackson (2.87 ERA over eight starts) have been good finds. Fiers left his most recent start early after being hit in the shin by a line drive, but there’s no apparent indication of a lingering issue that’ll keep him from making his A’s debut as soon as possible.
I'm told the A's did claim Fiers on waivers before making the trade with Detroit, which has a list of players from which to choose two - or take $$ instead.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) August 6, 2018
Fiers lengthens what is clearly a makeshift starting rotation, but Oakland is going to give up next to nothing (two players to be named later or cash) to get him from the Tigers. Fiers also has one year of team control (arbitration-eligibility) left, so he could very well be part of Oakland’s 2019 rotation.
Next. MLB Trade Rumors: 5 players who could be dealt in August. dark
The A’s may only squeeze a Wild Card playoff game out of their postseason push this year. But the acquisition of Fiers, and the addition of Shawn Kelley to the bullpen on Sunday, were both done without giving up significant assets. Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” philosophy is not dead.