The Athletics on Wednesday joined the Royals as an early seller ahead of the MLB trade deadline, sending right-handed reliever Shintaro Fujinami to the Orioles for Triple-A left-hander Easton Lucas. Both teams have announced the deal.
Fujinami, who was signed by the A's from NPB's Hanshin Tigers last offseason, had an abysmal start to his season as a starting pitcher. Through four starts, he posted a 14.40 ERA .302 opponents' batting average.
The Orioles, however, aren't trading for Fujinami the starter. Fujinami has made 27 appearances as a reliever this season, and although his ERA is higher than what one would hope (5.40), his batting average against is .224 when he comes out of the bullpen.
Those numbers, combined with Fujinami's 2.25 ERA in July, make him worth a flier for an Orioles team that has the sixth-best bullpen ERA.
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Shintaro Fujinami trade details
- Orioles get: RHP Shintaro Fujinami
- Athletics get: LHP Easton Lucas (minor leaguer)
The deal was a one-for-one swap. Lucas has appeared in nine games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2023, posting a 4.26 ERA in 12 2/3 innings. He made 11 appearances for Double-A Bowie and impressed with a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings.
Lucas was drafted by the Marlins in the 14th round in 2019. Miami traded him to the Orioles for utilityman Jonathan Villar in December of that year.
Fujinami, 29, is on a one-year, $3.25 million contract in his first season in MLB.
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Shintaro Fujinami stats
Fujinami was not good to start the year, to say the least.
It took him until June 30 to get his ERA below 10.00. To date, he has an 8.57 ERA, 51 strikeouts, and 30 walks in 49 1/3 innings.
That isn't the entire story, however. His numbers from June 2 through July 18 were much better:
| IP | ERA | SO | BB | BAA |
| 19.1 | 3.26 | 20 | 6 | .248 |
Fujinami may be a natural fit in the Orioles' pen alongside Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano. His 98 mph fastball is a plus pitch.
In the end, it's a low-risk deal for the Orioles, who add a power arm to a strong bullpen. For the Athletics, it's the beginning of yet another trade deadline sale.
