Former A's, Atlanta Braves Lefty Signs with Japan's Chunichi Dragons

Jason Burke | Dec 18, 2024

May 22, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Kyle Muller (39) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The A's and Atlanta Braves have made a couple of pretty big trades in recent years. The first sent Matt Olson to Atlanta in exchange for Joey Estes, Shea Langeliers, Cristian Pache and Ryan Cusick. Langeliers has been solid behind the dish, and Estes showed some flashes of brilliance in 2024, his first full year in the big leagues.

The other big deal the two teams made has not worked out nearly as well for the Athletics. Sean Murphy went to Atlanta less than a year after Olson, and in exchange the A's received Manny Piña, Freddy Tarnok, Kyle Muller, Royber Salinas, and from the Milwaukee Brewers, Esteury Ruiz.

Piña played in just four games for the A's, and Tarnok had a cup of coffee with the club before injuries struck. He is no longer in the organization. Salinas hit free agency this winter and has re-signed with the Braves. Muller also elected free agency, and has recently signed with NPB's Chunichi Dragons.

The 6-foot-7 left-hander was the A's Opening Day starter in 2023, not long after the club acquired him. From that game on, Muller's time with the A's was up-and-down, spending time in both Oakland and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023.

In 2024 he was out of options, so the A's put him in the bullpen as a long relief option, where he actually had a career year. He posted a 4.01 ERA (3.96 FIP) in 21 appearances spanning 49 1/3 innings, held his strikeout rate at 6.6 strikeouts per nine, and sliced his walk rate to 1.8 per nine, less than half of what it was in '23.

Muller is still a work in progress, but he was also showing signs of progress, too. His lack of minor-league options likely meant that his time with the A's had to end, since they'll need roster flexibility moving forward, but it's a little curious as to why another team didn't at least offer him a minor-league contract. Perhaps a chance to pitch against tougher competition was what Muller was after.

With Muller's official departure, this trade just has not worked out well for the A's, given that 80% of the return is already no longer with the club. Ruiz stole 67 bases as a rookie in 2023, but was hurt for most of the '24 campaign, and in his absence he appears to have lost a regular role with the club with the emergence of JJ Bleday in center and Lawrence Butler in right. Both are now everyday players.

Muller was originally a second round pick of the Braves out of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas in 2016, and reached the big leagues with Atlanta during the 2021 season. In the two series that the A's have had with Atlanta, Muller was optioned right before the first one, in Oakland in 2023, and was placed on the IL right before the team traveled to Atlanta this past season, so he has been unable to pitch against his former club.

Still just 27, Muller will have time to make his way back to the big leagues.