Athletics Acquire Fernando Rodney From Twins For Stretch Run

Image credit: Fernando Rodney (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Athletics acquired Fernando Rodney from the Twins on Thursday night, giving them another established arm they can turn to late in games.

The A’s already had All-Star closer Blake Treinen in addition to former Mets closer Jeurys Familia, who they acquired in a trade last month. Rodney now gives them three power closers with All-Star resumes, which should help buoy them down the stretch.

In return the A’s send righthanded pitching prospect Dakota Chalmers to the Twins. Chalmers ranked as Oakland’s No. 30 prospect entering the season.

Twins acquire:

Dakota Chalmers, RHP
Age: 21

A third-round pick in 2015, Chalmers has big stuff but hasn’t shown he can control it. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and he flashes a wipeout breaking ball, but he struggles to locate his offspeed for strikes and has an erratic delivery that hurts his control. The A’s have worked with him on creating a more repeatable delivery, but the results haven’t shown yet. He had eight walks and 10 strikeouts in five innings at low Class A Beloit this year before going on the disabled list in mid-April, and he hasn’t pitched since. Chalmers also left the team in May of last year to deal with a personal issue and did not return the rest of that season. Chalmers is a high-risk, high-reward acquisition if the Twins can keep him on the field and iron out his control. He will begin his Twins career at low Class A Cedar Rapids.

A’s acquire:

Fernando Rodney, RHP
Age: 41

The ageless wonder is still shooting arrows and collecting saves. Rodney had a 3.09 ERA and 25 saves for the Twins this season, striking out 50 strikeouts and walking 19 in 43.2 innings. He’s been particularly effective recently with only one run allowed in his last eight appearances. Rodney will join Familia in a setup role for Treinen, and he has a $4.25 million team option for next season if the A’s want to bring him back.