The Oakland A’s got their high-leverage reliever well before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.
The A’s acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for A’s No. 9 prospect Greg Deichmann and right-handed pitcher for the low-A Stockton Ports Daniel Palencia. The A’s will also receive $500,000 from the Cubs in the deal, a source told his news organization.
Chafin is on a one-year deal worth $2.25 million with a $5.25 million mutual option with the Cubs. The 31-year-old reliever adds to an A’s bullpen in need of more high-leverage options, particularly from the left side where Jake Diekman sits alone in the bullpen.
Chafin not only adds to the left-handed corp, but provides another high-leverage option to a group that has included Yusmeiro Petit, Diekman, Lou Trivino and, of late, Sergio Romo. Chafin has a 2.06 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, which means he issues a walk 8% of the time and a strikeout 25% of the time. An intriguing ratio.
Chafin doesn’t have the high velocity or high spin rate on his fastball, but produces some of the weakest contact in all of baseball. The 86% exit velocity average is in the top eight percentile and opponents’ expected batting average is .190.
Deichmann, 26, was a prospect quickly on the rise in the A’s organization since a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League in 2019, where he hit nine home runs. The left-handed outfielder flashed power and consistency at the plate on his way to Triple-A Las Vegas this year, where he’s slashing .300/.432/.449 with a .881 OPS and four home runs.
