OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland A’s agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn and outfielder Seth Brown on one-year contracts for the 2024 season, the club announced today. The A’s have now signed or agreed to terms with all arbitration-eligible players on the 40-man roster.
Blackburn completed his seventh consecutive season with the A’s in 2023 and was 4-7 with a 4.43 ERA and a career-high 104 strikeouts in a career-high-tying 21 games, including 20 starts. He opened the season on the 15-day injured list with a right middle fingernail avulsion and made six rehab appearances before being reinstated on May 29. The 30-year-old right-hander has combined to go 11-13 with a 4.35 ERA in 42 appearances over the last two seasons after going 6-11 with a 5.74 ERA in 30 games over his first five seasons.
Brown batted .222 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI in 91 games in a season interrupted by a stint on the injured list with a strained left oblique. He was placed on the 10-day IL on April 10, retroactive to April 9, and was reinstated on May 22. The left-handed hitter started games at four different positions (49 in right field, 18 in left field, 13 at first base, and 12 at designated hitter) and batted .234 with all 14 of his home runs against right-handed pitchers. Overall, Brown is batting .227 with 59 home runs and 186 RBI in 406 Major League games across five seasons with the A’s.
