Oakland Athletics land Tyler Clippard in exchange for Yunel Escobar
By Tyler Birss
The Oakland Athletics have acquired reliever Tyler Clippard from the Washington Nationals in exchange for shortstop Yunel Escobar. Yahoo! Sports and various other outlets have reported the news.
Escobar’s time in Oakland, all three or four days of it, probably won’t be remembered when he’s reminiscing on his baseball career down the road. Interestingly enough, this is actually the second time such a thing has happened to him as he was acquired by the Miami Marlins in the infamous Jose Reyes–Josh Johnson trade before being flipped to the Tampa Bay Rays 15 days later. Escobar now becomes a middle infielder for the Nationals.
For Oakland, this trade seems like a clear win. Clippard’s been superb throughout his eight-year career, the last six of which have been full seasons. All but a six-game stint with the New York Yankees in 2007 have been spent in Washington. Clippard’s career ERA sits at 2.88 and opponents only have a .191 lifetime batting average against the right-hander.
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More importantly, Clippard has found a devastatingly effective form during the last couple of seasons. His ERA was 2.41 in 2013 and 2.08 in 2014. He’s also averaged a strikeout or more per inning in each of the last six seasons. In the same timeframe, Clippard’s pitched between 60 1/3 and 90 frames. A durable setup man who rarely allows baserunners sounds like a keeper.
The soon to be 30-year-old is only under contract for the upcoming season. In a similar move, Oakland acquired Luke Gregerson prior to the 2014 campaign. He ended up being the A’s primary setup man before darting for a lucrative free agent contract. The same exact situation could apply to Clippard.
In the current A’s bullpen, Sean Doolittle is locked in as the closer. Clippard seems to be filled in as the setup man alongside fellow late-inning relievers such as Ryan Cook and Dan Otero. Otero’s also a potential middle or long reliever, while Fernando Abad and Eric O’Flaherty are two lefties in the mix.
Escobar should fill the gap in Washington left by Asdrubal Cabrera. Washington had a blatant middle infield need that Escobar fills. He’s due to make $5 million this upcoming season and will be owed $7 million in 2016. The Nationals will have a $7 million team option for 2017.
Oakland’s GM Billy Beane is possibly the most unpredictable executive in professional sports. He’s currently in an unprecedented trade mode that’s helped add to the 2015 team as he simultaneously builds for the future. Escobar is the latest victim as Clippard becomes Beane’s newest acquisition.