Three players back for Oakland’s setup man
We’re hearing that the Athletics are set to make their first big trade of deadline season as the team announced that the Kansas City Royals have made a deal to acquire Oakland setup man Lucas Erceg:
Welcome to the Green and Gold, Will, Mason, and Jared!
We have acquired RHPs Will Klein and Mason Barnett and OF Jared Dickey from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for RHP Lucas Erceg. pic.twitter.com/6RXcPFCjlx
— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) July 30, 2024
There you go. We got word yesterday afternoon that teams were serious about getting Erceg from the Athletics and less than 24 hours later he’s on the move. He’s a big get for the Royals as they push for the playoffs.
Erceg joined the Athletics before last season in a minor trade with the Brewers. That has turned out tremendously for the club as Erceg grew into a hard-throwing reliever that ascended to setup duties this year. If not for the presence of All-Star Mason Miller, he might have been the closer this season for the ballclub. He’ll now go to a Royals team trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. The right-hander had a 3.68 ERA in 38 games for the club this year and could conceivably get some looks at closer for Kansas City.
Here is the return the A’s will get back for Erceg:
Oakland will receive RHP Mason Barnett, RHP Will Klein and OF Jared Dickey from Kansas City in exchange for Erceg, who is under club control for five more years through 2029. https://t.co/08HpC9vad9
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 30, 2024
As you can see those five years of Erceg really boosted the return for him. The A’s will get back the Royals’ 4th and 18th ranked prospects in Barnett and Klein, respectively, along with an interesting outfield prospect in the low minors in Dickey. Barnett is a right-handed starter currently at Double-A. He possesses an above-average fastball and changeup with an improving slider. He’s the big get of the deal and could be an option for the starting rotation as early as next year if things break right, though he would likely also thrive in a relief role if that’s where he ends up long-term.
Klein is a right-handed reliever that made his big league debut just this past year. He’s spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he has a 3.58 ERA in 34 appearances. He’ll be a right-handed option for the team’s bullpen at some point this year and could turn into another Erceg-like reliever with a couple years of experience.
Dickey is a 22-year old outfielder currently at A+ and is performing well, slashing .269/.360/.424 with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. He’s a bit older for the level he’s currently at but the left-swinging Dickey could rise quickly. He’s seen most of his time in the corners in his career, with right field being his primary position this season.
Overall it’s a solid get for a relief pitcher that the team acquired just last year for cash considerations. We’ll likely be seeing Klein at some point this year and Barnett should be close behind him. The starting pitching depth in the upper levels of the minors gets an injection and the team also gets an interesting arm in Klein to go along with the low-minors outfielder in Dickey.