Billy Beane has taken Moneyball to a new extreme with this one.
The famously bargain-seeking Oakland A’s general manager acquired lefty Brad Mills, a potential fill-in fifth starter for the team with the best record in baseball, from the Milwaukee Brewers this week for the grand total of $1.
The 29-year-old Mills has a 7.76 ERA in 15 career big league appearances, but had been lights-out for the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville (1.56 ERA, 0.92 WHIP). The A’s are in need of rotation help after Drew Pomeranz broke his glove hand punching a chair following his outing on Monday.
Mills had a June 15 opt-out clause in his minor league contract and language in the deal that called for the Brewers to receive zero compensation if he wound up being assigned to another team’s active 25-man roster. That crisp dollar bill (“cash considerations,” excuse me) was actually gravy.