Oakland Athletics: Brad Mills, and Other Roster Moves
By Jason Burke
Evan Scribner,
Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Tuesday was a day full of transactions for the Oakland Athletics, and seemingly all of them stemmed from a decision made by Drew Pomeranz.
After his worst outing of the season on Monday night, Pomeranz punched a wooden chair with his non-throwing hand. Today, Pomeranz was put on the DL after fracturing his right hand. As our own Nick Avila said on Twitter, “Even the chair made solid contact on Pomeranz last night.”
The decision by Pomeranz to take out his frustration on the chair cost the Athletics a dollar. That dollar got them Brad Mills from the Brewers. Mills has struggled in the majors, compiling 53 1/3 innings and a 7.76 ERA over parts of 4 seasons. This season Mills is dominating the PCL, compiling a 1.56 ERA in 75 IP in the minors.
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There is speculation that Brad Mills will be added to the rotation on Saturday in place of Pomeranz.
The last move made was to bring up Evan Scribner from Sacramento to give the bullpen some versatility in the coming days. Scribner has taken over closing duties in Sacramento, collecting 9 saves and a 4.32 ERA. Most A’s fans will remember Scribner fondly from game 162 when his relief appearance propelled the Athletics to victory, and a division title.
The A’s are expecting the injury to Pomeranz to be a “best case” scenario, but there has been no timetable set for his return. With the rest of the rotation pitching well, the A’s can afford to try Brad Mills out for a few starts and see if he sticks. If he performs well, he could remain in Oakland when Pomeranz returns, either in the rotation or as the long reliever. If Brad Mills struggles, then he can be sent down and the A’s can keep Jeff Francis for the time being.
The A’s always have options. Brad Mills offers one more for Oakland.