The A’s first trade of winter meetings didn’t include Brett Lawrie or even a starting pitcher, rather relief pitcher Evan Scribner will be playing for Seattle.
Oakland acquired relief pitching prospect Trey Cochran-Gill, who possesses a plus-sinking fastball, which is a departure from Scribner’s high home run to fly ball ratio — one in four Scribner fly balls went for home runs last season.
The official Mariners prospect report webpage says that “Cochran-Gill’s ceiling may be that of a middle reliever, but he could reach it relatively quickly.”
That could be a big deal for the A’s, who claim to not be rebuilding, yet are primed to contend better in 2017 than they are this upcoming season.
Cochran-Gill posted underwhelming numbers in double-A this last year, highlighted by a 1.71 WHIP — bad regardless of where a player is.
It’s reminiscent of a player the A’s brought in during last year’s winter meetings, Kendall Graveman, a sinker ball pitcher who hasn’t quite honed his craft well enough for long-term success in the big leagues.
The type of pitcher, though, is favorable to the Oakland coliseum, with a large outfield and foul ground aplenty, not to mention winds that often blow in at night.
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