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Athletics Sign Jake Lamb

By Anthony Franco | September 14, 2020 at 1:00pm CDT

Sept. 14: The Athletics announced that they’ve signed Lamb to a Major League contract after he’d become a free agent (i.e. cleared release waivers). Lefty A.J. Puk, who is slated to undergo shoulder surgery, was moved to the 45-day injured list to open a roster spot. Oakland also placed Frankie Montas on the paternity list and added righty James Kaprielian as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader.

Sept. 13: The A’s are set to sign corner infielder Jake Lamb, as first reported last night by Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link). The Diamondbacks designated Lamb for assignment on Thursday.

Jake Lamb | Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The left-handed hitter isn’t officially eligible to sign until Monday, Rubin adds; presumably, he’s still on release waivers, although it’s a lock he’ll clear them since any team that claims him would absorb what remains of Lamb’s prorated $5.515MM contract. By waiting until he clears waivers, the A’s will leave the Arizona organization on the hook for all but the prorated portion of the league minimum salary. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle points out (on Twitter), Lamb’s deal should be finalized before Tuesday’s deadline for players to be eligible for a new team’s playoff roster.

Lamb came up as a third baseman, but he saw an increasing amount of time at first base in his final couple seasons in the desert. The A’s have Matt Olson locked in at first, so Lamb’s path to playing time in Oakland is surely back at the hot corner. The A’s just found out yesterday that star third baseman Matt Chapman was lost for the season. With Chapman out, Rule V pick Vimael Machin and veteran utilityman Chad Pinder have taken most of the third base work over the past week. Neither Machin nor Pinder has hit well this season, though, so the A’s are adding another bat to the mix. Additionally, Pinder also seems ticketed for the injured list after getting scratched from yesterday’s lineup with a hamstring strain.

Of course, that Lamb was designated for assignment this week speaks to his own recent struggles. While he once looked like a building block for the Arizona organization, the 29-year-old has never returned to form after a 2018 shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. Over the past three seasons, Lamb has combined for a paltry .199/.307/.330 line (73 wRC+) in 514 plate appearances. He’s continued to draw his fair share of walks, but the power he showed from 2016-17, when he combined for 59 home runs, has evaporated. Lamb has just 12 long balls over the past three seasons. He was off to the worst start of his career before the Diamondbacks moved on, hitting .116/.240/.140 in 50 plate appearances.

Lamb will be a free agent at season’s end, so he’s a short-term stopgap for the A’s. Oakland has a 40-man roster spot available already, and further space can be cleared by placing Chapman on the 45-day injured list.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Newsstand Oakland Athletics Transactions A.J. Puk Jake Lamb

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View Comments (23)

Comments

  1. letsgodbacks

    3 years ago

    Good luck with that.

    Reply
  2. stollcm

    3 years ago

    Nice picture

    Reply
    • jrussell92024

      3 years ago

      Bahahahaha

      Reply
  3. uvmfiji

    3 years ago

    Beane loves those all or nothing power bats

    Reply
    • pwndroia

      3 years ago

      If it gets him to the postseason, why not? They might not go past the first round, but it makes them perenial contenders. Great pitching and defense combined with hitters who hit a ton of dingers with low batting averages. Cheap investment but results in a lot of runs.

      Reply
  4. batter up

    3 years ago

    Imagine if a team like the Angels or Mariners picks him up on waivers after finding out he’s planning to sign with the A’s just to stick it to them.

    Reply
    • tim815

      3 years ago

      Imagine owners decided to allow more than 60 players to practice every day to get their entire top 20 prospects better for two months.

      But, they’d have had to have spent money, so it wouldn’t happen. Same sort of thing.

      Reply
    • Michael Chaney

      3 years ago

      If another team did that, they’d probably be doing the A’s a favor. Even if he hits well down the stretch, they’d still be absorbing the rest of his salary instead of getting him for the minimum.

      Reply
    • darkstar61

      3 years ago

      He’s hitting .116/.240/.140/.380

      If another team does it, they’d be hurting themselves both competitively and financially just to keep the As from adding a desperate experiment unlikely to succeed.

      Why would someone do that?

      Reply
  5. carlote

    3 years ago

    Another League, who knows, maybe he can rebound from his poor start

    Reply
    • aj90

      3 years ago

      His poor start has lasted 3 years.

      Reply
  6. leolujan77

    3 years ago

    He’s gonna rebound he’s to talented

    Reply
  7. bradthebluefish

    3 years ago

    Praying the A’s catch lightning in a bottle.

    Reply
  8. bkwalker510

    3 years ago

    goes to show what the A’s think of Neuse. just trade him this off season Beane

    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      3 years ago

      yeah shocked they wolnt give Neuse a chance, even as a bench bat

      Reply
  9. dave frost nhlpa

    3 years ago

    While you pile on the guy,anyone want Gary Sanchez? That’s what I thought.

    Reply
    • Oldschoolandthemets1980

      3 years ago

      Sanchez problems is not talent or ability it’s in his head. He takes his at bats to the field and catching miscues to the plate with him. He needs a change of scenery and someone to get in his head. I mean hell I’d take him on the Mets so much better than what we have at Catcher lol.

      Reply
  10. jessaumodesto

    3 years ago

    He Sucks but usually the type of guy we trade our top prospect for.

    Reply
  11. angt222

    3 years ago

    If he turns back the clock to 2017, the A’s might have a replacement for Davis at DH for 2021.

    Reply
    • letsgodbacks

      3 years ago

      Not if you get September 2017 Lamb.

      Reply
    • Oldschoolandthemets1980

      3 years ago

      MR 247 Davis lol

      Reply
  12. Scutarointherain

    3 years ago

    Let’s see who does better, Lamb or Panda.

    Reply
  13. phillyoakman

    3 years ago

    Looking pretty good now, isn’t he?

    Reply

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