Seattle Mariners Acquire Relief Pitcher From A's

Aug 3, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Will Klein (64) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Aug 3, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Will Klein (64) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Last week the Athletics signed veteran reliever José Leclerc to a one-year deal, and to make room for him on the 40-man roster, they designated Will Klein for assignment. After a long weekend, Klein has officially been traded to the Seattle Mariners, the team announced on Tuesday.

In exchange for Klein, the A's will receive international slot money. The exact amount was not disclosed, but the maximum amount it could be is $250,000. Could the A's have another signing planned on the international market? We'll have to wait and see.

Klein came to the A's as part of the Lucas Erceg deal with the Kansas City Royals last summer, and shortly after his acquisition, Klein was in Oakland. The 25-year-old righty made it into eight games with the A's and Royals and didn't find a ton of success, holding an 11.05 ERA (3.71 FIP) across 7 1/3 innings, giving up 12 hits (.387 average against) while walking six and striking out seven.

His numbers with the A's included a 27.00 ERA in just 1 2/3 innings, spanning three appearances.

Klein is an intriguing arm that throws 97 and has three pitches that are at least average in terms of Stuff+. This is the type of pitcher that Seattle has had success with in the past. The one flaw in his game currently is his command, which was below league average in his stint with the A's, but his fastball (99 on the stuff+ scale), slider (113) and cutter (123) are all strong offerings.

It was a bit surprising to see someone with Klein's potential be the odd-man out on the up-and-coming A's, but the team was likely thinking they could sneak him through waivers and keep him in the organization. The Mariners had other plans.

There are a few teams that make you wonder when they acquire a player, like the Tampa Bay Rays acquiring anyone, or Seattle adding a pitcher, given their ability to develop guys. This trade could be one that the A's end up having some regrets over in the coming years.

That said, he has been traded twice in less than a year, which does offer a little bit of hesitation.


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Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.