The Oakland A's traded left-handed pitcher Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league right-handed pitchers Jharel Cotton, Grant Holmes and Frankie Montas, the club announced today.
Hill was 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in just 14 starts with Oakland as his season was interrupted by two stints on the disabled list. He ranked second in the American League in wins (8) and ERA (2.25) and third in strikeouts (74) when he was placed on the DL for the first time retroactive to May 30 with a strained left groin. The 36-year-old left-hander was reinstated from the DL July 2 and went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts before the All-Star Break. Hill left his first post-break start on July 17 against Toronto after just five pitches with a blister on his left middle finger and was placed on the DL July 30 retroactive to July 20 due to the blister. He is eligible to be reinstated Aug. 4. Hill was signed by the A's as a free agent Nov. 20, 2015 after going 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA in four September starts for Boston last year. He is 35-26 with a 4.23 ERA in 215 career appearances, including 88 starts.
Reddick is hitting .296 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 68 games in a season shortened due to a stint on the disabled list from May 20 to June 27 with a fractured left thumb. He was batting .322 before the injury but is hitting .258 in 27 games since his return. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter has a .341 average against right-handed pitchers and .341 with runners in scoring position. Reddick was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a five-player trade Dec. 28, 2011 and hit .257 with 84 home runs and 300 RBI in 596 games in five seasons in an Oakland uniform. He had career highs in home runs (32) and RBI (85) in his first season in 2012 when he won a Gold Glove, and batted .272 with 20 home runs and 77 RBI last year. Reddick also hit .248 in three seasons with Boston and has a .255 average with 94 home runs and 337 RBI in 739 games over eight seasons in the majors.
Cotton is 8-5 with a 4.90 ERA and .219 opponents batting average in 22 games, including 16 starts, for Triple-A Oklahoma City. His opponents batting average is the lowest in the Pacific Coast League and he also ranks first with 119 strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander was selected by Los Angeles in the 20^th round of the 2012 draft and was rated as the Dodgers 10th best prospect by Baseball America entering the season.
Holmes is 8-4 with a save and a 4.02 ERA in 20 games, 18 starts, for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He has struck out 100 and surrendered just six home runs in 105.1 innings. The 20-year-old right-hander is tied for fifth in the California League in wins, ranks sixth in strikeouts) and ninth in ERA. Holmes was the Dodgers first round selection in the 2014 draft out of Conway High School in South Carolina and was rated as the Dodgers sixth best prospect by Baseball America entering the season.
Montas began the year at Double-A Tulsa and had no decisions and a 1.93 ERA in three games, one start, before he was promoted to Oklahoma City at the end of May. He logged a 2.38 ERA in four games, three starts, at Triple-A and was 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA in seven games, four starts, overall. The 23-year-old left-hander has 22 strikeouts and just three walks in 16.0 innings. Montas was originally signed by Boston as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009 and made his Major League debut with Chicago (AL) last year, going 0-2 with a 4.80 ERA in seven games, including two starts. He was rated as the Dodgers ninth best prospect by Baseball America entering the season