Report: A's add former Toronto Blue Jays prospect to 40-man

Jason Burke | Nov 19, 2024

Jun 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of an Oakland Athletics hat and glove on the field against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Today is the day that teams will protect a number of players from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man rosters, and according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, one of the players that the Athletics will be protecting is Gunnar Hoglund, whom they acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Matt Chapman trade.

The A’s have added RHP Gunnar Hoglund to the 40-man roster, per source.

The former 2021 19th overall pick tossed 130.2 innings in the upper minors this year and could be a starting option for the A’s in 2025.

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) November 19, 2024

To figure out which prospects need to be protected, the rule states, "Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons."

Hoglund, who was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2021 out of college, falls into this category.

Now 24, the former first rounder is Rule 5 eligible for the first time. In 2024 he went a combined 9-7 with a 3.44 ERA between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 1.07 WHIP. Most of that time was spent in Double-A, with the right-hander getting promoted to Vegas in August and making five starts for the Aviators. He went 0-3 with a 5.88 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

Part of the reason for the struggles was that his walk went went from an impressive 6.5% to a still solid 9% in Triple-A. He was also giving up home runs at a much higher rate (1.03 per nine to 1.73 per nine) and had a little worse BABIP luck.

While he is not a finished product, since he came over to the A's organization he has been listed on top-30 lists and is currently ranked at No. 12 by MLB Pipeline. The team is hopeful that he will turn into a quality big-league pitcher because of his ability to throw strikes.

While he may not be someone that the A's immediately look to call up to Sacramento if a need were to arise, he should certainly be in the mix to join the team at some point during the 2025 campaign. The A's current projected rotation of JP Sears, Joey Estes, Osvaldo Bido, Mitch Spence, and J.T. Ginn represents plenty of upside, but a large portion of those starters are not established just yet, which could lead to some tinkering with the roster and the rotation as the season goes on.