Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Former A's Starter

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed a pitcher this week that was involved in one of the most hated trades in Oakland A's history: The Josh Donaldson deal.

Following the 2014 season, the A's front office felt that the team was headed for a decline after a Wild Card Game exit against the Kansas City Royals, and without the resources to supplement the roster available to them, they instead decided to trade away many of their seven All-Stars from the previous season.

One of the biggest pieces of those teams was Donaldson, who had finished fourth and eighth in the AL MVP voting in 2013 and 2014. In November of '14, he was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package that included Kendall Graveman, Franklin Barreto, Brett Lawrie, and Sean Nolin. Less than a decade later, the A's would trade another franchise centerpiece third baseman to the Jays in Matt Chapman.

Graveman ended up being arguably the best piece of the deal for the A's, finding a spot in the rotation in 2015 and turning in decent seasons with the team. When he reached free agency in 2018, he was out the door as the A's began to compete again. He'd miss the 2019 season, but showed back up in 2020 with the Seattle Mariners, pitching out of the bullpen in nine of his 11 appearances.

Turns out he was pretty good in relief. In 2021 he turned to relief pitching full-time, and posted a 1.77 ERA on the season, and was even traded by the Seattle Mariners (where he'd had a 0.82 ERA in 33 innings at the time) to the Houston Astros.

Following that year, he'd hit free agency again, this time signing on with the Chicago White Sox, only to be traded back to Houston in 2023 for prospect Korey Lee. From 2021-23 as solely a relief pitcher, Graveman put up a 2.74 ERA across 187.1 innings pitched. The productivity is certainly there. At this point in his career, it's how healthy he will be that is the question.

Graveman missed the 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery prior to the season, but it's being reported that the Diamondbacks have seen him throw and believe he is fully recovered. According to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert and Brian Murphy this is a big-league deal for one year and $1.35 million. Jesse Rogers of ESPN has reported that the deal could increase to $3.3 million with incentives.

Arizona appears to have the late innings taken care of with 23-year-old Justin Martinez slotted into the closer's role, and lefty (and former A's pitcher) A.J. Puk also in the mix. Graveman's inclusion in the bullpen, at least for now, appears to be for depth, which is a scary premise for opposing teams.

If Graveman is able to pitch close to how he was before his injury, then this group of arms in the bullpen could certainly rival the best groups in the game. Given the contract, this is a nice buy-low addition for the D-Backs as we head into 2025.