Dec. 1, 1:04 PM: Right hander Wilkin Ramos is Pittsburgh’s return in the deal, the teams announced this afternoon. Ramos, 18, spent all of last season at Oakland’s Dominican Summer League affiliate, where he posted an 8.55 K/9 against 3.83 BB/9 over 40 IP. He stands a projectable 6’5, 165, but didn’t rank among the team’s top 30 prospects in recent updates by various outlets.
Nov. 20, 6:48 PM: The Athletics announced today that they have acquired righty Tanner Anderson from the Pirates. The Oakland organization has also added four players to its 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft: outfielders Luis Barrera and Skye Bolt along with righties Grant Holmes and James Kaprielian.
Anderson is a 25-year-old who was originally taken in the 20th round of the 2015 draft. He has steadily marched through the Pittsburgh farm since becoming a professional, working as both a starter and reliever. He shifted to the pen full-time in 2018.
Though he hasn’t typically produced exciting strikeout numbers, Anderson limits the free passes and long balls. And he has generally produced outstanding groundball numbers. Indeed, Anderson has yet to finish a season with less than a 60% groundball rate. In the just-completed season,he worked to a 2.64 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 61 1/3 innings.
Skye Bolt has to be a top 3 name in baseball.
His nickname had better be “Lightning”. If it isn’t, someone needs to give it to him pronto.
Anderson was a no-brainer for the Pirates to DFA or trade. Not that he’s not big-league material, but the Bucs had better prospects who they needed space for on the 40-man. Anderson could possibly help somebody’s bullpen but his ceiling probably isn’t too high.
Oakland is probably a great spot for Tanner to land. Manaea is out this year and their rotations was a bunch of reclamation projects that were great last year but most are free agents again. It’s not hard to envision Anderson working as starting depth out of the bullpen in Oakland this season.
I saw Anderson as a better prospect than several of the young pitchers that they have kept on the roster only inasmuch as after the first game or two he had two or three that were actually fairly good.
I do agree that he may not have a high ceiling but my feeling was that there is some potential to be a decent back of the bullpen type of guy.
I am not real familiar with the others,but the other prospects may very turn out to be suspects,and I doubt that they would have been taken anyway because of their lack of progress through the minor league system.
I am not referring to the four young players promoted just before the deadline.
Not protecting Richie Martin is an interesting move…
I was thinking the same thing. He had a real nice season at AA this year.
Absolutely hate it
I don’t. This was his first good season. He’s always had “good plate discipline” but he’s never been able to translate it to anything until this season.
To a lot of teams his defense wasn’t enough to keep him in the majors. The teams that are looking at players for the R5 draft aren’t focused on defense.
Yes they are, that’s like the best possible kind of way to sneak a rule V through the year, having them be a serviceable defensive backup to a regular, and if he hits, then he’s a keeper.
“Richie Martin being the A’s #1 defensive prospect” alone is enough to get teams a-claiming.
The team that will be “a-claiming” is the Orioles.
I could see the M’s, drafted him out of HS and Segura appears on his way out.
I don’t think Skye Bolt was at risk of being taken.
I think some team would’ve liked him enough to pick him in the rule 5 draft. He has double digit homer and stolen base potential and a nice glove in the OF.
His Arizona fall league performance was really good as well.
Eli White is the guy that could be taken. He had a good AFL year and plays good D.
Don’t think White is eligible for Rule 5 draft until next year.
Shouldvr protected white and nartin, good seasons in AA and good defender or at keast utiljty type. I dare someone to take kareplian whos nevwr healthy. Give me the high floor infielders over the two injured pitchers. Or shouldve trade those infielders earlier in a sonny gray offer
Should have nontendered Dull, Hendriks and Phegley and kept Fiers, who is a very decent backend innings eater, at that price.
I don’t like this move. The A’s should of protected Martin instead of giving a 40 man spot this reliever.
Not a bad pick up for a journeyman right handed.
decent return for some one who probably was going to be dfa’d.
Wow, 6’5’ and 165. Thats a lanky dude