Orioles acquire Fujinami from Athletics
The Baltimore Orioles made their first move of deadline season, acquiring rookie right-hander Shintaro Fujinami from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league pitcher Easton Lucas, the teams announced Wednesday.
Though he has experience starting, the Orioles will be using Fujinami in a relief role, where he's excelled this year, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko.
Fujinami's inflated 8.57 ERA and 1.66 WHIP are largely the result of an ill-fated rotation stint in which he allowed 24 earned runs over four April starts. The 29-year-old has turned his season around since then, though, establishing himself as an important piece of Oakland's bullpen.
In 17 outings since June 1, the Japanese hurler posted a 3.26 ERA and 3.66 FIP with 20 strikeouts and six walks. He's allowed just two homers and held opponents to a .699 OPS over that span. Fujinami's velocity, especially on his fastball and splitter, has also spiked considerably as the season has progressed.
and ... oh, yeah pic.twitter.com/OCrI6folmY
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) July 19, 2023
He'll now bolster an already stellar relief corps that anchors the AL East-leading Orioles' pitching staff. Fujinami can serve as an effective middle-inning bridge ahead of breakout star Yennier Cano and All-Star closer Felix Bautista.
Fujinami jumped to the majors on a one-year, $3.25-million contract with Oakland this past offseason. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Pacific League, where he worked primarily as a starter.
Lucas, who heads to the A's, owns a 2.73 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with a 11.2 K/9 rate across 20 combined outings between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk this season. Baltimore promoted the 26-year-old left-hander to Triple-A in June.
To make room for Fujinami on the 40-man roster, Baltimore designated corner infielder Josh Lester for assignment.