Fastball

Baltimore Orioles Trade For Oakland Athletics Reliever Shintaro Fujinami

The three-time NPB All-Star was just settling into his bullpen role before he got shipped out in exchange for Triple-A pitcher Easton Lucas.
Sam Connon|
Baltimore Orioles Trade For Oakland Athletics Reliever Shintaro Fujinami
Baltimore Orioles Trade For Oakland Athletics Reliever Shintaro Fujinami

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have traded Triple-A pitcher Easton Lucas to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for reliever Shintaro Fujinami, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Wednesday. The teams later confirmed the swap.

After the Athletics' 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, Fujinami was seen hugging teammates and telling them goodbye in the clubhouse.

Fujinami was 5-8 with an 8.57 ERA across 34 appearances with the A's, although his numbers improved drastically once he was moved into the bullpen. The 29-year-old rookie out of Nippon Professional Baseball opened the season 0-4 with a 14.40 ERA and a 1.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts.

After a month of similarly shaky results as a reliever – a 1-1 record with a 10.66 ERA and a 1.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio – Fujinami became one of the Athletics' best late-game options. Fujinami is 4-3 with a 3.32 ERA and a 3.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio dating back to May 27.

Just since June 5, Fujinami is 3-1 with a 1.66 ERA across 16.2 innings of relief.

Fujinami was an three-time All-Star in NPB, going 57-54 with a 3.41 ERA in 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers.

The Athletics signed Fujinami to a one-year, $3.25 million contract in January. 

Fujinami is joining an Orioles bullpen that ranks No. 7 in the league with a 3.71 ERA, but No. 21 in WHIP at 1.330. In his last 14 relief appearances, Fujinami owns a 0.960 WHIP.

The Athletics, on the other hand, are getting Lucas – the Miami Marlins' 14th round pick from the 2019 MLB Draft. Lucas is 8-4 with a 3.95 ERA in 159.2 career innings in the minor leagues. This season, he is 1-0 with a 2.73 ERA across 20 relief appearances at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Baltimore just moved into a tie for first place in the AL East alongside the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, improving to 58-37 with an 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Orioles and Rays open a four-game series in St. Petersburg on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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