The Brad Ziegler trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics is complete, according to Steve Gilbert. Arizona gets the righty specialist help in the bullpen they crave, as Rob Neyer has already written about. Ziegler is a difficult guy for righties to hit.
Brad Ziegler Traded For Brandon Allen, Jordan Norberto
The A's, meanwhile, receive Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto in return. And that makes this a somewhat interesting deal. Allen is 25 years old, and he owns a .730 OPS in the majors. He's a first baseman who hasn't hit much at the highest level. However, here's what Allen has done in triple-A:
.287/.406/.554
That’s over nearly 1,100 plate appearances since 2009. Reno’s a hitter-friendly environment, to be sure, so Allen’s numbers are inflated, but he’s shown that he can draw a walk and hit home runs, so the A’s will give him an opportunity to translate those numbers to the bigs.
Norberto, meanwhile, is a 24-year-old lefty reliever who’s been pitching with Reno. He’s generated 54 strikeouts and 26 walks in 48-2/3 innings, and he can get his fastball into the mid-90s with some consistency. He’s missed bats at every level and might have a future - soon - in a major league bullpen.
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