Pitcher Mike Minor agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Kansas City Royals over the weekend, leaving the A's after he was acquired at the 2020 trade deadline. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the monetary details of the contract on Tuesday.
This opens up another spot for a veteran presence on the A's starting rotation.
Minor pitched in five regular-season games with the A’s after he was acquired from the Texas Rangers on Aug. 31.
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His addition was an interesting one with Oakland. A’s general manager David Forst was transparent about the addition of the 32-year-old, who would act as an additional arm for a team that was dealing with a lot of double-headers amid a positive coronavirus test from starting pitcher Daniel Mengden.
Minor also was able to pitch out of the bullpen if need be.
He finished the 2020 season across the Rangers and A’s with a 5.56 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched.
Without Minor and with Mike Fiers hitting free agency, the A’s still could benefit from adding yet another veteran starter.
Oakland Athletics
Perhaps they could kick the tires on someone of Corey Kluber’s caliber, who is a free agent. This would be interesting, but not a crazy idea. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is coming off a muscle strain, but as MLB Network's Jon Morosi says, citing sources, he's progressing well.
The 34-year-old currently is drawing interest from the Boston Red Sox, Morosi reports, which is in the area of Kluber's residence.
Another name that has been brought up is Tyson Ross. While there hasn't been anything concrete, his name has been mentioned as an interesting possibility for Oakland. Not only because he's a former A's pitcher himself, but he also makes his home in the East Bay and could fit the description for the Green and Gold.
Ross opted out of the 2020 season while he was with the Giants. His 6.11 ERA in 2019 with the Detroit Tigers might not appear appetizing, but the A's would only be looking for a fifth-starter type anyway.
I’ve mentioned before I really like the idea of Lance Lynn to the A’s as well. That’s who I believe would have been a great acquisition during the trade deadline.
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Seriously, I'm going to write it into fruition.
Minor going to the Royals is a typical move for Kansas City, with general manager Dayton Moore being one who likes to bring on low-risk, high-reward players.
The A’s didn’t have a chance to see Minor at his full potential in his brief stint in 2020 but there's a good chance the Royals could benefit from a bounce-back year from him in 2021.