The first dominos in Oakland has fallen.
The A’s have traded set-up man Lucas Erceg to the Royals and starter Paul Blackburn to the Mets, according to multiple reports, the first trades that Oakland has made ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT trade deadline.
For Erceg, the A’s will receive right-hander Mason Barnett, right-hander Will Klein and outfielder Jared Dickey from the Royals. Barnett and Klein are Kansas City’s No. 4 and No. 18 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, respectively. The Mets reportedly are sending 22-year-old right-hander Kade Morris, their third-round pick in the 2023 draft, to Oakland for Blackburn.
Erceg, 29, emerged as Oakland’s set-up man this season and often set the table for All-Star closer Mason Miller, who recently went on the injured list with a fractured pinky. In 38 games this season, Erceg is enjoying a career-best 3.68 ERA and has already recorded a career-high 12 holds.
Blackburn, 30, has spent parts of eight seasons with the A’s, serving as the team’s All-Star in 2022. Over 81 career major-league games — all with the green and gold — Blackburn had a 4.83 ERA over 404 innings with 308 strikeouts.
The right-hander was activated off the injured list on Friday after missing roughly two-and-a-half months due to a right foot stress reaction, allowing four earned runs across five innings against the Angels in his return to action. In nine starts this season, Blackburn owns a 4.41 ERA over 51 innings with 38 strikeouts.
Barnett, 23, was selected in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Royals. This season, Barnett has a 4.91 ERA with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Klein, 24, was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Royals. He made his major-league debut earlier this season, allowing four earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in five appearances.
Morris, who grew up in Turlock and pitched at Nevada, has a combined ERA of 3.51 with 95 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings between low- and full-season A this season.
The A’s, who enter Monday 44-64, could very well have many more deals to come in the coming hours.
The team’s biggest trade chip remains designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker, who is hitting a blistering .413/.479/.850 with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs in July. On the season, the 29-year-old Rooker is enjoying career-bests in batting average (.290), on-base percentage (.370) and slugging percentage (.587). With 25 home runs on the season, Rooker is on pace to break his previous career-high of 30 long balls as well.
In addition to Rooker, Oakland could deal veterans such as outfielder Miguel Andujar; right-handed reliever Austin Adams; and left-handed relievers Scott Alexander and T.J. McFarland.
With Miller on the injured list and Erceg headed to Kansas City, the A’s are now missing the 1-2 punch that they’ve relied on to close games out for most of the season. Of the 21 saves that the A’s have recorded, Erceg (three) and Miller (15) account for almost all of them. If they are not traded, Adams (20 holds) and McFarland (13 holds) could elevate into the closer role.
Born in San Jose, Erceg attended Westmont High School in Campbell. From there, Erceg spent two years at Cal before transferring to Menlo College, where he’d be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
