A’s Trade RHP Erceg to Kansas City; Select RHP Reyes from Las Vegas

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s traded right-handed pitcher Lucas Erceg to the Kansas City Royals for right-handed pitcher Will Klein, minor league right-handed pitcher Mason Barnett and minor league outfielder Jared Dickey, the club announced today. The A’s also selected right-handed pitcher Gerardo Reyes from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Erceg is 2-3 with three saves, a 3.68 ERA and .662 opponents OPS in 38 relief appearances with the A’s. He has 41 strikeouts in 36.2 innings and has walked 13. The 29-year-old right-hander made his Major League debut with Oakland last year in his eighth professional season and is 6-7 with a 4.32 ERA and .701 OPS in 88 relief appearances in two seasons with the A’s.

Reyes has spent the entire season at Las Vegas and is 2-1 with a save, a 3.82 ERA and .643 opponents OPS in 31 relief appearances. He has struck out 48 batters in 33.0 innings, an average of 13.09 per nine innings, and has held the opposition to a .152 batting average. The 31-year-old right-hander made his Major League debut with San Diego in 2019 and is 4-0 with a 7.41 ERA in 37 relief appearances in three seasons in the majors with the Padres (2019) and Angels (2022-23).

Barnett was the Royals third round selection in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft and is rated as the fourth best prospect in the Kansas City organization by MLB.com. He is 5-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts, for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this year. The 23-year-old right-hander has struck out 109 and walked 36 in 91.2 innings. Barnett ranks second in the Texas League and fifth among all Double-A pitchers in strikeouts. He is 12-13 with a 3.88 ERA in 45 games, 41 starts, in his career and has 257 strikeouts in 213.1 innings.

Klein made his Major League debut with Kansas City earlier this year and was 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA in five relief appearances from May 31 to June 9. He has spent the balance of the season at Triple-A Omaha where he is 2-1 with nine saves, a 3.58 ERA and .604 opponents OPS in 34 relief appearances. The 24-year-old right-hander has 38 strikeouts in 37.2 innings but has also walked 27. KIein was the Royals fifth round selection in 2020 and is ranked as the 18th best prospect in the Kansas City farm system by MLB.com. He is 11-8 with 17 saves, a 5.17 ERA and 307 strikeouts in 216.0 innings in 149 games as a minor leaguer.

Dickey is hitting .269 with nine home runs, 40 RBI and a .794 OPS in 81 games with High-A Quad Cities. He was the Royals 11th round selection out of the University of Tennessee last year and is a .285 career hitter with nine home runs, 60 RBI and an .810 OPS in 113 games in two seasons as a professional. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has played in 89 games in right field and 14 in left field in his career.