Yesterday, the Athletics traded recently DFA'd Esteury Ruiz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Carlos Duran, whom FanGraphs ranked as L.A.'s No. 22 prospect heading into the 2024 campaign.
Ruiz came to the A's as the big piece in the return for Sean Murphy in the three-team deal with the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. It was Ruiz's inclusion in the deal that looped Milwaukee into the trade in the first place, and also landed them with arguably the best piece in the deal, William Contreras.
Meanwhile, every part of the trade the A's received is now no longer with the organization just over two years later.
So who is Carlos Duran? Well, he's a 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander that was a non-roster invite to Dodgers camp this past spring. He is not currently on the A's 40-man, but he is Rule 5 eligible, so that may need to change come November.
He started the second game of the Triple-A season for Oklahoma City, going 4.1 innings and giving up three hits and four walks, which only led to one run scoring. He also struck out eight in that span on 76 pitches.
In this game in particular, he utilized his slider most often, using it 43% of the time, while his four-seamer was right behind it at 38% usage. The heater topped out at 97.2 miles per hour, and averaged 95.6 mph on the night. He also worked in 12 sinkers, which were about a tick off of his four-seamer, and sprinkled in a couple of changeups.
From FanGraphs' write-up on Duran ahead of the '24 campaign: "At his best, he’ll show you feel for four pitches: an upper-90s sinker, an upper-70s curveball he lands for strikes, a mid-80s changeup with action that complements his sinker well, and a mid-to-upper-80s slider with an elite spin rate.
"Duran’s bulky size and violent delivery have been a somewhat scary aspect of his prospectdom since he first showed up on The Ranch, and despite his repertoire depth, there was relief risk rooted in his profile even before the injuries."
Those injuries that are mentioned were Tommy John surgery, which cost him the 2023 campaign, and a previous shoulder injury.
The A's have assigned him to Triple-A Las Vegas, but it's unclear what role he'll hold with his new club. Given the looming Rule 5 status, they could start him off in the rotation to get a better look at him, and then make a decision from there.
His fastball and his slider are both solid pitches, rating as 60's on the 20-80 scout scale, with the slider still potentially having some room to grow. Without a third pitch to lean on, he's likely a reliever candidate, given the injury history.
The two balls that were put in play on his sinker last week both resulted in ground-outs, so that could be something that intrigues the A's, given how Sutter Health Park played during the first homestand.
All in all, he's an interesting pitcher because he has nasty stuff. During the A's last postseason run, their pitchers were more focused on limiting walks and hitting their spots. Then they lost to the Houston Astros in the 2020 ALDS, and Houston's staff filled with "stuff" guys.
Since then, it seems as though the A's have been firing darts trying to find some guys that can collect strikeouts and be effective enough pitchers to not let runs cross the plate. If they also happen to issue some walks, then that happens.
Michel Otañez is a similar type of pitcher out of the bullpen for the A's, as are Justin Sterner and Rule 5 draftee Noah Murdock. Sterner's fastball, by "Stuff+" is just as nasty as Mason Miller's this season. Murdock's slider is up there with the best on the staff as well. Miller just happens to also have pretty solid command, which is what sets him apart.
We'll have to wait for Duran's Vegas debut to see which role the A's use him in, and what he's working with to have a better idea of his future with the club.
