The Oakland A's have acquired a key piece in their push for a postseason berth, getting reliever Jeurys Familia from the struggling New York Mets.
The A's shipped their 17th-ranked prospect, third baseman Will Toffey, and Minor League reliever Bobby Wahl to the Mets for Familia. In addition, the Mets also got a $1 million in international money as part of the trade.
With Familia's arrival, the A's now own one of the most formidable bullpens in the American League. Currently, the A's bullpen ranked fifth-best in the American League with an ERA of 3.52 thanks to rookie phenom Lou Trivino, who is 7-1 with a 1.22 ERA and All-Star closer Blake Treinen, who has 24 saves and an ERA of 0.94. Last season, the A's relievers ranked 13th with a 4.57 bullpen ERA.
Familia Enjoying Career Resurgence
The 28-year-old Familia suffered setbacks in 2017 when he had been suspended 15 games for violating MLB's domestic violence policy and when he underwent surgery on his right shoulder.
Last season, Familia tallied a woeful 4.38 ERA. This season, Familia is enjoying a career resurgence, tallying 17 saves to go with 2.88 ERA this season for the last-place Mets.
In 2016, Familia achieved a huge career boost when he was selected as a National League All-Star. That year, Familia tallied a personal-best 51 saves in 56 opportunities. In his seven years with the Mets, Familia tallied 123 career saves, third in franchise history.
"The A's are lucky to have a quality guy and a quality pitcher like Familia," says Mickey Callaway, Mets manager. "He's done a great job for this organization."
Mets Explain Familia Trade
While the team and the fans will miss Familia, Callaway explained that a trade is necessary to beef up the team's future. Callaway believes that the Mets made the correct move in trading Familia for Toffey and Wahl.
A fourth-round pick by the A's in 2017, the 23-year-old Toffey hit .244 with five homers and 32 RBIs in 48 games with Class A Stockton this season.
The 26-year-old Wahl, for his part, had seven appearances with the A's last season, recording a 4.70 ERA. In 2018, he tallied a 3-2 record with 2.27 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 17 walks with Triple-A Nashville.
According to John Ricco, Mets assistant general manager, the trade addressed the team's needs in three areas. Aside from that, the Mets were unburdened with the responsibility of paying the rest of Familia's contract worth $3 million.
"We got a Major League-ready reliever our scouts recommended, a position player who was a high selection from the 2017 Draft and strong prospect in the A's system as well as receiving international bonus pool money to help in the future," said Ricco.
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