A's DFA Yet Another Piece of the Sean Murphy Trade

Jason Burke | Aug 13, 2024

May 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Kyle Muller (39) watches the game against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics announced on Tuesday that they have recalled right-hander Joe Boyle, the reigning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week, and designated Kyle Muller for assignment to make room on the roster.

Muller was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Sean Murphy deal in December of 2022, and received the Opening Day start in 2023. The rest of the season didn't go too well, as Muller went 1-5 in 21 games (13 starts) and finished with a 7.60 ERA.

This season he has been much better, serving as a long relief option for Oakland all year. In 42 2/3 innings, the 6-foot-7 lefty held a 4.22 ERA (4.07 FIP) while upping his strikeout rate to 19.7% and cutting his walk rate in half to 5.1%. Even with those gains, he was basically a mop-up reliever for the A's this season, and with the pitching depth the team feels like they may be accruing, maybe he didn't fit into their plans in a bigger role moving forward. There will likely be a team out there that will take a chance on Muller in the coming days.

The trades that the A's have made with the Braves haven't aged super well. In the Murphy deal, the A's acquired Esteury Ruiz, Royber Salinas, Muller, Manny Piña, and Freddy Tarnok. Ruiz has been injured much of the 2024 season, Salinas is struggling with command in the minors, Muller was just DFA'd, Piña barely played last season before getting released last August, and Tarnok was placed on waivers in June and claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The best player moved in that trade remains catcher William Contreras, who went from the Braves to the Brewers. The A's could have found a different trade partner (or partners) and Atlanta could have just held onto Contreras and both clubs would have been better.

The A's deal with Atlanta for Matt Olson has turned out a bit better for Oakland. Shea Langeliers is taking a step forward on both sides of the ball this year, holding a 103 wRC+ and racking up 1.1 fWAR, while Joey Estes, 22, has shown flashes of being a top-of-the-rotation arm. He holds a 4.70 ERA with a 4.37 FIP in his first big-league season, but also tossed a Maddux earlier this season.