Seth Johnson could end up being a late-inning relief option for the A's by the end of the season
The Athletics have made one minor deal at the deadline, adding right-hander Seth Johnson from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for outfielder Colby Thomas.
Teams were reportedly interested in a number of A's outfielders, and Thomas has had his moments with the club, including a home run robbery last month, where he leaped above the short wall in right field in Sacramento and landed on it.
He has hit .202 this season overall, with a .235 OBP and a .568 OPS. The A's have deployed him primarily against left-handers, and he has gone 22-for-97 (.227) against them while notching all four of his home runs.
Against right-handers, Thomas ended up going 1-for-17 (.059). That said, his career splits are just as pronounced, with Thomas batting .171 against righties across 76 total at-bats. Overall, he's been roughly league average against left-handers (99 wRC+) but well below it against right-handers (0 wRC+).
He has a solid arm, ranking in the 77th percentile in arm strength, and has primarily been a corner outfielder for the A's.
Thomas was optioned down to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 31 to get him more consistent playing time.
A's Add Johnson
Johnson is 1-0 this season with the Phillies out of the bullpen, posting a 5.51 ERA across 16 ⅓ innings. While the results haven't been there, his velocity ranks in the 92nd percentile with a heater that averages 97.6 mph this season.
The 27-year-old has a 29.5% whiff rate, a .211 expected batting average against, and an average exit velocity of just 87.2 mph, which are all positive signs.
The one big drawback is going to sound very familiar to A's fans: he allows quite a few walks. This season with the Phillies he has posted a 25% strikeout rate and a 17.5% walk rate.
Johnson is a huge "stuff" guy; his curveball leads the pack with a score of 123. His entire pitch mix combines for a 109 stuff+ grade, which ranks second on the A's staff behind only Elvis Alvarado.
With the high walk rate, you can probably guess that his location grades aren't quite as high. In fact, his arsenal comes in at an 87 (100 is average). That amazing curveball has a location grade of just 49, and his sinker comes in at 61.
That said, in the minors he posted a 2.17 ERA (2.91 FIP) in Triple-A with a 33.1% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk rate, so there is hope he can take a slight step forward the rest of the way, and potentially even be in the late-inning conversation heading into 2027.
