Athletics Land Pitching Help Via Trade With Blue Jays

It's no secret that the A's pitching staff has had its struggles this season, and needed some help down the stretch.

We have discussed the team's issue at closer with Elvis Alvarado, and how Mason Barnett could be the A's next closer.

The A’s just brought in a minor league free agent that could join the big league pitching staff sooner rather than later.

Read more about his success last season and what role he could serve with the team:https://t.co/1Lcu8CNdd6
— Dylan Quinn (@dylanq_2) June 21, 2026

The A's rotation has actually also been taking hits recently, as their ace, Luis Severino, has been on the Injured List for weeks now.

Luckily, the A's have veteran right-hander Aaron Civale back in the mix, but he had a really rough first start back. He did have a better second start against the Giants, but he's not guaranteed to be a reliable starter for the team going forward.

Athletics Land Hayden Juenger

Mar 11, 2023; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hayden Juenger (76) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On Saturday, the A's announced that Blue Jays' recently DFA'd right-hander, Hayden Juenger, has been acquired in a trade. The team gave up Owen Carapellotti, who was an undrafted free agent last summer, and he will head to Toronto's organization.

Juenger is 25-years-old and has two major league innings under his belt. Unfortunately for him, they did not go quite the way he would've liked them to go. In those two appearances, he pitched a total of 2.0 innings and allowed three earned runs, which makes his ERA a brutal 13.50, and he holds a 2.000 WHIP.

The #BlueJays dealt RHP Hayden Juenger to the #Athletics for C Owen Carapellotti in a prospect swap.

Stats and bios:

Juenger: https://t.co/vlxSPdNqFS
Carapellotti: https://t.co/0gYJAdAVLT pic.twitter.com/qx9D9MiVDf
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 28, 2026

However, Juenger was actually dominant in Triple-A in the Jays' organization. The right-hander posted a 2.59 ERA in 21 appearances and pitched in 24.1 innings.

Those numbers likely excited the A's, and it makes sense not to worry about his 2 big league innings because of how small the sample size is.

Juenger's Role Upon Joining the A's Organization

Feb 29, 2024; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hayden Juenger (76) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Because the A's have such a lack of pitching, they can really use all the arms they can get their hands on right now. As mentioned, the injuries have given plenty of opportunities to guys that certainly wouldn't have gotten big league looks this early in the season.

The A's have Geoff Hartlieb and Matt Krook in their bullpen, who have both recently joined. While Hartlieb has had some success in his first two outings, Krook has had a bit of struggles in his last time out.

We’re rooting for you always, Hayden!

Best of luck with the Athletics. You’ll always have a home in Buffalo forever 🤍 pic.twitter.com/OUI7Z8753d
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) June 27, 2026

This means that even in the coming days, we could see Juenger join the A's bullpen if they believe he's needed. If not, he'll join the Las Vegas Aviators' bullpen and get some leverage opportunities there.

Whether or not he debuts with the A's soon doesn't matter, it's still going to be a good pickup for whenever they add him to the big league roster.

Add us as a preferred source on Google