A's get Hendriks from Blue Jays for Chavez
The A's beefed up their bullpen Friday, acquiring lefty reliever Liam Hendriks from the Blue Jays, but at the cost of one of their most versatile arms, right-hander Jesse Chavez.
Hendriks joins a bullpen that posted an American League-worst 4.56 ERA this year, third highest in the Majors. Fortifying this area was a top priority for the club, and the acquisition of Hendriks reflects a significant start.
Hendriks was 5-0 with a 2.92 ERA in 58 relief appearances with Toronto this season, striking out 71 batters in 64 2/3 innings next to just 11 walks while yielding three home runs.
The 26-year-old right-hander ranked fourth among AL relievers in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.45) and limited opponents to a .240 average, including .207 against right-handed hitters.
It was the first time Hendriks pitched exclusively in relief after going 3-15 with a 5.92 ERA in 39 games, including 34 starts, over his first four seasons in the Majors.
Chavez, 32, spent half of the 2012 season in Toronto before being traded to Oakland, giving the A's great work out of the rotation and in the bullpen. He went 7-15 with a 4.18 ERA through 30 games (26 starts) in 2015, and he's eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2016 season.
Hendriks joined the Blue Jays prior to the 2014 season but was traded to Kansas City in July of that season. He later returned to Toronto at the end of the year in another deal.