The A's acquired speedy outfielder Buddy Reed on Dec. 12, 2019 as the player to be named later in Oakland's trade that sent Jurickson Profar to the San Diego Padres. But they might lose him before he ever plays a game with the big league team.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo listed Reed as one of 10 players who could be taken in Thursday's upcoming Rule 5 Draft, and for good reason. Reed, 25, is a great athlete full of raw tools. He's an extremely fast outfielder who can play all three outfield positions. But his bat hasn't been consistent in the minor leagues, and the A's didn't add him to the 40-man roster.
Teams pay $100,000 to select a player in the major league part of the draft. If that player doesn't stay on the MLB roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.
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After hitting .333 with five doubles and five stolen bases in the Arizona Fall League back in 2018, Reed hit 14 home runs and stole 23 bases in Double-A in 2019. The problem is, he only hit .228 and had a low .698 OPS. Reed, who is a switch-hitter, struck out 126 times in 121 games.
"The bat hasn’t been as consistent, but he has 20-20 potential if it can all click," Mayo wrote.
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Reed got into 11 games with the A's big league club during spring training this year, but he went hitless in 14 at-bats. He walked three times, struck out six times and also stole three bases.
Oakland Athletics
Reed is 6-foot-4 and weighs 218 pounds. He's currently listed as the A's No. 24 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He has all the tools, but at some point the bat has to catch up. His skill set and potential alone could easily be intriguing enough for another team to scoop him up, though.