Right-handed reliever Jose Leclerc made a free agent move within the American League West, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Athletics on Friday.
According to multiple media reports, the contract is worth $10 million.
Leclerc, 31, had been with the Texas Rangers’ organization since signing an a teenage international free agent in 2010. He pitched eight years in the majors for Texas, going 12-20 with 41 saves and a 3.27 ERA in 350 career games (three starts).
He was a key performer in the Rangers’ run to the 2023 World Series championship, going 1-1 with four saves and a 3.29 ERA in 13 relief appearances.
Last season, Leclerc appeared in 64 games and went 6-5 with one save and a 4.32 ERA. In 66 2/3 innings, he fanned 89 and walked 32, logging the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career.
To open a spot on the 40-man roster for Leclerc, the A’s designated right-hander Will Klein for assignment. Klein, 25, was acquired by the A’s in the July deal that sent right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg to the Kansas City Royals.
Overall for Kansas City and Oakland in 2024, Klein went 1-0 with an 11.05 ERA in eight relief outings.
