Report: Athletics acquire Jim Johnson in trade with Orioles

Jim Johnson is set to make more than $10 million through arbitration next season. (Greg Flume/Getty Images)

The Baltimore Orioles have traded closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for second baseman Jemile Weeks, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported late Monday night.

The news came after previous reports from Rosenthal earlier in the night casting the A's as the "most involved" in trade talks for Johnson, while ruling out the Los Angeles Dodgers as a potential trade partner for the Orioles. Johnson will likely replace Grant Balfour, the A's closer last year who is now a free agent.

Johnson is projected to earn more than $10 million in arbitration, so his addition marks a curious move for the usually cost-conscious A's.

The 30-year-old Johnson has led the majors in saves in each of the past two seasons, though he did blow nine of his 59 save opportunities last season. Overall in 2013, he went 3-8 with a 2.94 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He had 56 strikeouts and 18 walks in 70 1/3 innings pitched.

Weeks, 26, has played in parts of the past three seasons with Oakland. His best season came during his rookie campaign in 2011, when he batted .303 with a .761 OPS. He followed up that season by regressing to a .221 average and .609 OPS in 2012. Weeks played in only eight major-league games in 2013 while spending most of his time in Triple-A Sacramento.

REITER: The top 50 MLB free agents, ranked >