The Athletics pulled off a trade today to help bolster their rotation when they acquired Homer Bailey from the Royals minor league middle infielder Kevin Merrell.
Via NBC Sports:
“He’s been pitching really well as of late,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Bailey. “He’s beaten some good teams this year. Before he got hurt, obviously, he was an electric arm and it seems like he’s coming back to form at this point. I think it makes our rotation better and I think that’s the objective at this point.”
The A’s are banking on Bailey being completely healthy, after battling a string of injuries since his Tommy John Surgery back in 2015. In his last three starts, Bailey is 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA which will surely help his 7-6 record with an elevated 4.80 ERA and 1.41 WHIP.
As far as Merrell goes, Oakland parts with a former first-round pick and the 17th best prospect in the Athletics’ pipeline. The 23-year-old was slashing .246/.292/.339 with two home runs, 34 RBI and 13 stolen bases this season at Double-A Midland but as NBC Sports is reporting scouts have been concerned about his ability at the plate. That alone could, in turn, be the determining factor as to whether or not he’ll ever find his way to the Show.
