In what might be the worst of several lackluster tear-down trades, Kyle Muller came to the Athletics on the premise that he’d be at least a middle-of-the-rotation anchor — essentially what JP Sear has been — for years to come. Instead, he had a perplexingly bad debut season in Oakland before finding his way to mop-up duties out of the bullpen, where he looked excellent early but had an unsatisfying ending. Now a free agent, he likely won’t rediscover his potential wearing green and gold.
How was he acquired?
In their controversial trade of young breakout catcher Sean Murphy, the Athletics received a prospect package from the Atlanta Braves without a clear headliner.