A'S ACQUIRE CLOSER JOHNSON FROM O'S
The Oakland Athletics acquired pitcher Jim Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles for infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later or cash (David Freitas-Dec 12 2013).
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
The A's, renowned as the leaders of the whole 'Moneyball' movement, are these days paying a lot more attention to the closer role. With {P Grant Balfour} a free agent, Oakland acted quickly to replace him with veteran Johnson, who has accumulated 101 saves the last two seasons in Baltimore. Now in a strong pitchers' park in Oakland, Johnson may not suffer much of a drop-off in 2014.
What does it give the Baltimore Orioles
The O's were motivated to deal Johnson, who is eligible for arbitration with the strong statistical numbers to cash in big time. Instead, Baltimore gets Weeks--who has struggled to take the next step in his development but still has upside as a starting second baseman and table-setter. Since the Orioles have a hole at the keystone position, he stands a chance to bust out next year.
Fantasy impact
Johnson would have been hard-pressed to deliver a third straight season of 50-plus saves, regardless of his 2014 squad, but the move to Oakland shouldn't hurt his fantasy value. Weeks should see a spike in his fantasy value now that he's landed with the O's, and he now becomes an intriguing sleeper for 2014. Baltimore now needs a new closer, so perhaps the likes of {P Tommy Hunter} and {P Brian Matusz} will get a shot. The biggest losers here are A's relievers {P Sean Doolittle} and {P Ryan Cook}.
