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The A's continued their offseason whirlwind of activity Thursday, acquiring left-handed reliever Chris Hammond from the New York Yankees and moving to the brink of securing free agent reliever Arthur Rhodes to become their closer.
The A's dealt two minor-leaguers to the Yankees, right-hander Edwardo Sierra
and infielder J.T. Stotts. The Yankees also sent cash to the A's to help cover
part of Hammond's contract. He's due to make $2.4 million in 2004 and has a
club option for $3 million in 2005 with a $200,000 buyout.
A's general manager Billy Beane said Rhodes is scheduled to take a physical this week but wouldn't confirm the deal is done. But the Associated Press reported the two sides have agreed to a three-year deal worth $9.2 million, a source familiar with the negotiations said on the condition of anonymity.
Rhodes, 34, has never been a full-time closer during his 13-year major-league
career, but he's expected to replace Keith Foulke as the A's stopper next season.
Foulke signed a free agent contract with Boston on Saturday. Rhodes went 3-3
with a 4.17 ERA as a setup man for Seattle last season.
"When he's in the game, every left-hander is saying, 'Don't come in, don't
come in,'" said A's first baseman Scott Hatteberg, who attended the A's
First Pitch fan event Thursday at the Arena in Oakland. "He has a real
intimidation factor that a lot of pitchers don't have."
Hammond will team with Ricardo Rincon to give the A's two left-handed set-up
men. But Beane said he doesn't visualize Hammond as only a left-handed specialist.
"He gives us a lot of depth," Beane said. "With no clear-cut
closer, we want to add as many quality relievers as we can. He can pitch in
any role. He can set up or give us a couple of innings in the middle."
Hammond, 37, retired from baseball for two years but came back and excelled
with the Atlanta Braves in 2002, posting a 7-2 record with a 0.95 ERA. He went
3-2 with a 2.86 ERA last season with the Yankees but wasn't used much in the
latter half of the season as manager Joe Torre preferred Felix Heredia and Gabe
White as his primary left-handers out of the bullpen.
Hammond wasn't on the team's roster during the first two rounds of the playoffs
and pitched two innings in the World Series.
The A's re-signed Rincon to a two-year deal Tuesday, the same day they acquired
left-handed starter Mark Redman in a trade with Florida. The A's still have
to work out a deal with Redman before Saturday's 9 p.m. deadline because he's
arbitration eligible.
Assuming the Rhodes deal gets finalized, the A's will have added four left-handed
pitchers to their roster this week.
NOTES: The A's still need to find a catcher to replace All-Star Ramon Hernandez,
who was dealt to San Diego last month. That player could be Damian Miller, who
is reportedly the player to be named later in the trade that sent Michael Barrett
to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. ... A's manager Ken Macha said he has narrowed
his search for a bench coach down to two candidates, one who has major-league
managing experience. The job became open when Terry Francona took the Boston
Red Sox managing job.