With a blockbuster deal already in the books, the A’s have traded left-handed starting pitcher Tommy Milone to the Twins, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. Outfielder Sam Fuld will be headed to Oakland, Jerry Crasnick reports.
Tommy Milone traded for Sam Fuld in A’s-Twins swap
The A’s add outfield depth for the post-Cespedes era, the Twins get another youngish arm for a rebuilding pitching staff.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Milone has a 3.55 ERA this season in 16 starts for the A’s. A 27-year-old in his fourth MLB season, Milone has compiled a 32-22 record and 3.84 ERA in 80 games (78 starts). For his career, Milone has a 17.2 percent strikeout rate and 5.2 percent walk rate, but fewer plate appearances this season are ending in a K (15.1 percent) while he’s walking a higher percentage of batters (6.4 percent). That gives him a 4.42 FIP for the season, up from 4.13 for his career.
MLB Twins beat reporter Rhett Bollinger reports Milone will be assigned to Triple-A Rochester. This will be nothing new for Milone, who hasn’t started for the A’s since July 4, hours before the team’s acquisition of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs.
Fuld is hitting .274/.370/.354 for the Twins in 2014, and also played in seven games for the Athletics to start the season. His high on-base percentage comes from walking in 12.7 percent of his plate appearances. He also rates as an above-average baserunner and fielder, having spent a majority of his time in center field but having also played in both corners in 2014. With Coco Crisp battling "chronic degenerative changes" in his neck, Fuld will provide depth in center as well as a defensive replacement for Jonny Gomes, acquired earlier Thursday by Oakland in the deal that brought left-handed ace Jon Lester from the Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Speed-and-defense outfielder Craig Gentry, acquired from the Rangers in December, is on the disabled list with a broken hand.
Milone had originally been drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2008. He was acquired by the A’s in the December 2011 trade that also brought them Derek Norris in exchange for Gio Gonzalez.
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