The Oakland A’s have acquired right-hander Jim Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles for second baseman Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
The deal works for both clubs. The A’s lost closer Grant Balfour to free agency and the Orioles have had a hard time keeping Brian Roberts on the field and healthy.
Johnson, 30, is projected to earn more than $10 million in 2014 making him a prime candidate to be moved. Johnson lead MLB in both saves (50) and blown saves (nine). He had a 2.94 ERA (143 ERA+) and a 3.11 K/BB in 70 1/3 innings. Johnson will become a free-agent next winter.
Weeks, the A’s first-round selection in the 2008 draft hit .303/.340/.421 (110 OPS+) in 97 games as a rookie in 2011 but he has been unable to build on that success. He put up a .221/.305/.304 (73 OPS+) line in 2012 before spending most of 2013 in Triple-A.
Weeks is not arbitration eligible until the 2016 season, and not a free agent until after 2018.
In three big league seasons, Weeks has played 223 games, nearly all at second base, batting .258/.319/.357.
