SAD NEWS: Houston Astros Have Officially Confirmed Another Shocking Departure Of Key Pitcher to The Oakland A’s In a Huge Blow to The Squad

The Oakland Athletics have claimed right-handed reliever Janson Junk off waivers from the Houston Astros, who designated him for assignment earlier this week. The Athletics will be Junk’s third organization in 2024, following the Milwaukee Brewers.

Junk was originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round of the 2017 MLB Draft, and he remained with the team until the 2021 season, when he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Andrew Heaney. Elvis Peguero, the Angels’ other returning player, was a righty.

Junk made his Major League Baseball debut as a starter for the Angels in September. He made four starts for the Halos, pitching 16 1/3 innings and posting a 3.86 ERA. He struck out ten batters and walked only two.

In November 2022, the Angels dealt him (along with Peguero) to the Brewers in exchange for Hunter Renfroe. In two seasons with Milwaukee, he threw 15 1/3 innings and had a 5.87 ERA, making one start in seven games.

Junk’s distinguishing attribute is his exceptional command, having walked only 5% of the batters he’s faced in the big leagues. His ERA over four seasons is 5.18, and his FIP is somewhat better at 5.07. The A’s could be looking at his xFIP (expected FIP), which is 4.02. While not a shutdown reliever, it’s a useful depth arm to have in the system. Junk still has one option year remaining.

Junk has experimented with his pitch mix throughout his big-league career, throwing up to six pitches as recently as 2023. This year, he’s down to five, having dropped his rarely utilized splitter. His fastball, which sits at 94 mph, will get the most work, followed by his 89 mph slider, 83 mph curveball, 94 mph sinker, and 81.6 mph sweeper.

The trick for Junk could be as simple as determining the proper pitch sequence. He has a good chase rate (36.2%) in 2024, but he is prone to being hit hard when hitters make contact. They don’t necessarily barrel him up, but he makes a lot of strong contact, with an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph this season. Obviously, the sample size is modest, but that is what the figures show.

He might work with the A’s for the same reason everybody else does: opportunity. Both the Brewers and the Astros are in postseason contention and do not have innings available for a player looking to establish himself at the MLB level, but the fact that those two pitching factories were interested in him is a positive indicator. The A’s are improving, but they will not be playing in October this year. They have a month’s worth of big-league games to give him a chance to earn a job in the bullpen next season.