A’s Trade Right-Hander Shintaro Fujinami to Orioles for Minor League Lefty Easton Lucas

AP

10:21 JST, July 20, 2023

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics traded right-hander Shintaro Fujinami to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league left-hander Easton Lucas on Wednesday.

Oakland announced the deal shortly after its 6-5 win against the Boston Red Sox gave the last-place A’s (26-71) a second straight victory following an eight-game skid.

Fujinami joined the A’s during the offseason, signing a $3.25 million, one-year contract in January. The 29-year-old Japanese star is 5-8 with an 8.57 ERA over 34 appearances with seven starts.

He struggled out the gate in his first major league season but had been far more reliable and effective the past two months.

The 26-year-old Lucas, a 14th-round pick by the Marlins in 2019 out of Pepperdine, has gone a combined 1-0 with a 2.73 ERA and 37 strikeouts and a save over 20 relief outings and 29 2/3 innings with Baltimore’s Double-A and Triple-A clubs this season.