A's Reliever a Fit for the Phillies?

Jason Burke | Jul 29, 2024

Jun 26, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lucas Erceg (70) pitches during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Even before Mason Miller landed on the injured list last week, we felt that Oakland A's setup man Lucas Erceg could be the relief pitcher that the team was more likely to move. According to Ken Rosenthal, Erceg is "drawing significant interest" from rival clubs.

One team that could be in the mix is the Philadelphia Phillies, who are still targeting relief help, per Rosenthal. The Phillies added Carlos Estévez over the weekend, sending prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldehgeri to the Angels in the deal. Klassen, a right-hander, is now ranked as L.A.'s No. 3 prospect, while Aldegheri, a lefty, is ranked No. 8.

Estévez, 31, has gone 1-3 with a 2.38 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP this season. Erceg, 29, is 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Erceg has averaged 98.4 miles per hour on his heater this year, compared to Estévez's 96.4, and he also gets more ground balls, has a higher strikeout rate, and limits hard contact, ranking in the 87th percentile.

The big hangup with Erceg is that his command isn't quite as good as Estévez's, who holds a four percent walk rate. Erceg's is sitting at 8.3%, which is roughly league average.

That all said, a trade package for Erceg would be costly for any team, and with the value that selling teams have been able to extract for their relief arms, the A's would be wise to make a deal happen if they see a return they like.

Erceg is until club control through the 2029 season and will still be pre-arb next year, earning the big-league minimum before getting into his arbitration years. It's that level of team control that could make any trade the A's make involving Erceg a valuable one for the A's moving forward.

While Erceg hasn't been quite as impressive as Miller, he still has the right mix to be able to close games out for a team, or he can continue serving as a bridge to the ninth inning. He's an extremely valuable bullpen piece, and teams are rightfully clamoring for his services.

Yet, with the A's making some progress over the last month, Oakland could always decide to hold onto him as they continue to build for the future. Whether or not he stays in the green and gold is dependent on what types of offers the A's are getting.