Update (9:15 PM ET): Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the A’s “will try to find a taker for Moss.” Which, um, awkward.
Brandon Moss tells me when he got the news he was traded to the A's "I was jumping and screaming. Nothing against KC, I loved it there, but it's Oakland! And Bob Melvin!"
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) January 30, 2018
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Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports that the Royals have traded 1B/DH Brandon Moss and reliever Ryan Buchter to the Athletics in exchange for pitcher Jesse Hahn and minor league pitcher Heath Fillmyer. The Royals are also sending $3.25 million to the Athletics, per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan.
Moss, 34, hit .207/.279/.428 with 22 home runs and 50 RBI in 401 plate appearances for the Royals last season. The Athletics are already well set up at any position Moss would play -- Khris Davis at DH, Matt Olson at first base, Matt Joyce and Stephen Piscotty in the corner outfield -- so Moss appears to be in line for a bench role.
Buchter, 30, compiled an aggregate 2.89 ERA with a 65/26 K/BB ratio in 65 1/3 innings. The left-hander is under team control through 2021, so he figures to be a mainstay in the Athletics’ bullpen for at least a little while. There’s a very good chance the A’s end up trading him before he hits free agency.
Hahn, 28, struggled over the last two seasons, finishing with a 6.02 ERA in nine starts in 2016 and a 5.30 ERA in 13 starts and one relief appearance last year. He is also under team control through 2021, so the Royals are getting a pitcher who can contribute out of the rotation or out of the bullpen relatively cheaply.
Fillmyer, 23, was selected by the Athletics in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. MLB Pipeline listed him as the club’s 18th-best prospect. Last season, with Double-A Midland, he put up a 3.49 ERA with a 115/51 K/BB ratio in 149 2/3 innings. Fillmyer projects to be a back end starting pitcher once he reaches the big leagues.