ANAHEIM, CA: Brad Ziegler #31 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Brad Ziegler Dealt To Diamondbacks For Brandon Allen, Jordan Norberto
Brad Ziegler Dealt To Diamondbacks For Brandon Allen, Jordan Norberto
Live1 Total Update since July 31, 2011
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almost 2 years ago Update 1 comment
Brad Ziegler Traded For Brandon Allen, Jordan Norberto
The Brad Ziegler trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics is complete, according to Steve Gilbert. Arizona gets the righty specialist help in the bullpen they crave, as Rob Neyer has already written about. Ziegler is a difficult guy for righties to hit.
The A's, meanwhile, receive Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto in return. And that makes this a somewhat interesting deal. Allen is 25 years old, and he owns a .730 OPS in the majors. He's a first baseman who hasn't hit much at the highest level. However, here's what Allen has done in triple-A:
.287/.406/.554
That's over nearly 1,100 plate appearances since 2009. Reno's a hitter-friendly environment, to be sure, so Allen's numbers are inflated, but he's shown that he can draw a walk and hit home runs, so the A's will give him an opportunity to translate those numbers to the bigs.
Norberto, meanwhile, is a 24-year-old lefty reliever who's been pitching with Reno. He's generated 54 strikeouts and 26 walks in 48-2/3 innings, and he can get his fastball into the mid-90s with some consistency. He's missed bats at every level and might have a future - soon - in a major league bullpen.
almost 2 years ago Update 0 comments
MLB Trade Rumors: Brad Ziegler Heading To Diamondbacks?
According to at least two sources, Oakland Athletics reliever Brad Ziegler will probably be traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks; according to another, the deal's actually been consummated.
Ziegler, a right-handed submariner, is one of the more consistent relief pitchers in the game. He's got a 2.49 ERA in his four seasons, and has held right-handed hitters to a .224 batting average. Perhaps most attractively to the Diamondbacks, Ziegler keeps his pitches down; he hasn't allowed a single home run this season, and has given up only eight homers in 231 career innings.
Like most submarine pitchers, Ziegler does have trouble with opposite-hitting hitters, and Kirk Gibson will have to treat Ziegler almost like a situational lefty (but the other way around).
The Diamondbacks, who still have designs on the National League West title, have gotten great work this season from J.J. Putz and David Hernandez, but otherwise are short on right-handed relievers, so Ziegler should fit right in.
No word yet on who the A's are getting (or would get) in this deal, but a Grade B prospect seems about right. Considering Ziegler won't pitch more than 20 innings the rest of the season.
