A's add veteran Grossman to outfield mix

MESA, Ariz. -- A veteran presence is coming to a young Oakland outfield.
The A's on Wednesday agreed to a one-year Major League deal with switch-hitting outfielder Robbie Grossman. The club officially announced the deal Friday, while announcing they placed right-hander Daniel Gossett on 60-day injured list.
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Grossman, who averaged a .371 on-base percentage over his past three seasons, profiles as a potentially nice piece for the A's, even though they appeared to be more than set in the outfield.
Stephen Piscotty will be back in right field, with Ramón Laureano likely manning center. Nick Martini and Chad Pinder, meanwhile, were expected to form a platoon in left, with Mark Canha hanging around as a fifth outfield option.
It's unclear how Grossman affects these plans, but the additional depth could allow the A's to make one of their other excess options -- including Dustin Fowler and infielder/outfielder Franklin Barreto -- available in a trade.
Grossman, 29, hit .273 with five homers and 48 RBIs for the Twins last year. He's a career .256 hitter over six seasons, three each with Houston and Minnesota, and has done especially well against left-handed pitching, batting .286/.378/.406 in 645 plate appearances.