BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Athletics acquire OF JJ Bleday from Marlins for LHP A.J. Puk

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Monday, February 13, 2023

Athletics acquire OF JJ Bleday from Marlins for LHP A.J. Puk

The Oakland Athletics acquired veteran outfielder JJ Bleday from the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk on Saturday, both teams announced.

Bleday, 25, was used sparingly in Miami last season, appearing in 65 games with 204 at-bats. He finished with a .167 batting average but showed some power in limited duty. For a team struggling on offense, Bleday contributed five home runs and 16 RBIs.

Bleday, who played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores, was a 2019 draft choice of the Marlins.

Puk, 27, is a towering presence on the mound, a 6-foot-7 left-hander who posted a 3.12 ERA with 76 strikeouts to go along with four saves last season. He also finished with a 1.15 WHIP across his 62 appearances.

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: February 13, 2023 at 12:00 AM | 7 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: aj puk, athletics, jj bleday, marlins

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1. A triple short of the cycle

Posted: February 13, 2023 at 11:14 AM (#6116843)

I think I am okay with this. Strikes me as A's are trading high on Puk and the Marlins are trading low on Bleday.

2. DCA Posted: February 13, 2023 at 12:43 PM (#6116881)

Yeah this is just about the only move that the A's have made recently that isn't either a bad idea or poor execution of a good idea.

And it's only okay.

3. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: February 13, 2023 at 12:49 PM (#6116884)

You can call him A.J. And you can call him JJ. But you doesn't has to call him Johnson.

4. Walt Davis Posted: February 13, 2023 at 02:42 PM (#6116925)

Meh. Bleday is a former top 100 prospect turning 25 while Puk is a former top 100 prospect turning 28 with 4 years of team control left. It's not a "what are the A's thinking?" type of bad move but it's awfully blah. It would look a lot more interesting for the A's except that Bleday hit just 212 at AA and 229 at AAA so what can we really expect in the majors? It's kinda amazing really -- his MLB BABIP was just 216 and normally we write that off to bad luck, but it was 268 at AAA and 254 at AA. He's very, very FB-heavy (lower G/F ration than Gallo so far) with a 16% IF/FB rate in the majors. I see no reason to think the A's will get him straightened out.

Still it's just AJ Puk with one decent relief season under his belt so he's not gonna bring more than a Bleday type in return. No harm in the A's taking a flyer.

5. Doug Jones threw harder than me Posted: February 14, 2023 at 02:51 AM (#6117054)

I sure hope so. AJ finally turned into a decent major-league player. He might still learn how to be a starter and put together a Randy-Johnson type career (if not at that level). Bleday - well, the A's are hoping he's something more than a quadruple-A (if that) hitter.

6. John Reynard Posted: February 14, 2023 at 03:56 AM (#6117055)

Bleday is basically an inferior version of Jesus Sanchez (less raw power, less contact on pitches in the zone, a notch slower, similar otherwise....equally questionable to stick in CF). He's a fine wild card prospect to get back for what Puk is (years of control of a guy who might be a decent RP, but doesn't have a long-established record of anything except being hurt). He's not a guy you assume you can build a team around or anything though. If they're really lucky he could see his hit tool slide up to 40 without snuffing out his power and he could be a useful but non-star regular......who they trade for a flier on a live arm in a couple years who might turn into Puk.

7. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: February 14, 2023 at 11:14 AM (#6117077)

veteran outfielder JJ Bleday

A 25 year old with 65 career games is a veteran?

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Monday, February 13, 2023

Athletics acquire OF JJ Bleday from Marlins for LHP A.J. Puk

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