Billy Beane always makes a big trade, and he did just that today when he traded the once “Untouchable” Jemile Weeks for Orioles closer Jim Johnson.  A player to be named later will also be sent to the Orioles in the trade, but the trade possibly fills a void for both teams.  The Orioles get a cheap player at a prime position and the Athletics get an experienced closer to fill the void left by Grant Balfour.

Jemile Weeks broke out in the 2011 season when he played 97 games hitting .303 and stealing 22 bases, but he was caught 11 times.  The average and speed was enough to deem Weeks as “Untouchable” coming into the 2012 season, but this is where it all went south with the Athletics and Weeks.  In 21 more games Weeks batting average dropped .82 points and he stole six less bases and only attempted 21 steals, a huge drop off for the guy who was going to be the cornerstone of the team.  In the end Weeks lost his job and spent all of 2013 in the minors until rosters expanded despite having a fantastic spring training.

Johnson struggled at times in 2013, but still managed to lead the league in saves at 50 following up a season where he finished in seventh in Cy Young voting while recording 51 saves.  Even in a down season Johnson still posted an ERA below three.  The downside for the Athletics is going to be the large payday that Johnson is going to get in arbitration, it is rumored that he will get around $10 million, but he will be a terrific stop gap for one more season to let either Ryan Cook or Sean Doolittle prove that they can take over the role.

This trade works out well for both teams on paper.  The Orioles have been rumored to be in need of dropping payroll and getting rid of Johnson before he is awarded arbitration does just that, and in return they fill a prime position.  If Weeks can live up to expectations that he set in 2011 the Orioles could be a huge piece for the future of the team.  On the other end the Athletics get the piece that they need for the back end of their bullpen, even if it costs them more than they wanted to spend on the open market when arbitration hits.