The A's once again added to their already strong bullpen.
The club announced Sunday afternoon that they have acquired 34-year-old RHP Shawn Kelley and cash from the Nationals in exchange for international slot money. To make room on the 40-man roster, Oakland placed outfielder Jake Smolinski on the 60-day DL with a blood clot in his left calf.
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Kelley has been effective this season in Washington, going 1-0 with a 3.34 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 35 appearances. He notched 32 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. For his career, Kelley is 26-23 with 15 saves and a 3.73 ERA.
"It just adds length to our bullpen," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "This is a guy who has had a lot of success, too. [Blake] Treinen knows him. I talked to him a little about him before the game. [He's a] good guy, can give you a couple of innings. He's got good sink, a good fastball. He's given us some problems in the past. So it just makes us a little bit deeper down there."
The Nationals designated Kelley for assignment Wednesday, a day after he slammed his glove to the mound following a home run he allowed to the Mets' Austin Jackson.
"I think that's an isolated incident," Melvin said. "That's one of the things we talked to Blake about. Blake said this is a great guy, and that is completely out of character for him. Sometimes your emotions, on certain days, get away from you a little bit. I've never seen that from him before. We feel good about him being here."
Assuming he can keep his cool in Oakland, Kelley should provide the A's another reliable arm out of the pen, and they didn't have to give up any players to get him.