The Oakland Athletics, surprise leaders of the AL West division halfway through the shortened MLB season, made a move on Monday before the MLB Trade Deadline to acquire Texas Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor.
The A’s, the owners of a 22-12 record and a team that has the looks of a potential World Series contender, looked to upgrade one of the only weak points of its team by acquiring the veteran lefty.
Oakland will send two players to be named later as well as international slot money in exchange for the Tennessee native and cash considerations to help pay his salary.
Minor, a 2009 first round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves out of Vanderbilt University, has been a quality starter for Texas over the last three seasons after joining the club before the 2018 campaign after spending a year with the Kansas City Royals as a reliever.
He pitched to the tune of a 14-10 record with a 3.59 ERA last season, putting up numbers that he hadn’t achieved since 2013 with the Braves.
Minor has struggled so far this year, putting up a 5.60 ERA, but showed promise on Friday, pitching 6 shutout innings against one of baseball’s most potent offenses in the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 33-year-old pitcher is expected to make his Oakland debut at some point this week.
