The Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline is around the corner, and two American League teams swung an interesting deal on Wednesday.
The Baltimore Orioles acquired right-handed pitcher Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Triple-A left-hander Easton Lucas.
Fujinami, 29, is a rookie after signing a one-year, $3.25 million deal with the A’s over the offseason. He starred for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan from 2013-22.
While Fujinami has an 8.97 ERA in 49 1/3 innings pitched, there’s plenty of intrigue here for Baltimore. The Orioles will likely use him as a reliever, where he has a 5.40 ERA and 3.68 FIP over 31 2/3 innings pitched, compared to a 14.26 ERA and 7.20 FIP over 17 2/3 innings pitched as a starter.
Additionally, Fujinami has been putting his 100 mph fastball to much better use lately.
In 11 innings over his last nine appearances, Fujinami has allowed two earned runs and zero walks, while striking out 12. He has a 3.32 ERA over his last 20 appearances.
So, in recent weeks, Fujinami looked much more like the pitcher the A’s thought they were getting, and clearly the Orioles are believers.
Fujinami joins a Baltimore bullpen that leads the majors in wins above replacement according to FanGraphs, led by Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano. That bullpen is a huge reason the Orioles have the best record in the AL.
As for the rebuilding Athletics’ side of the trade, Lucas has a 4.26 ERA over 12 2/3 innings as a reliever this season in Triple-A.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.