Oakland, CA – The Oakland Athletics avoided arbitration with first baseman Brandon Moss and relief pitcher Jerry Blevins on Friday, agreeing to terms with each on one-year contracts for the 2013 season.
Both players played key roles in the A's surge to last season's American League West title. Moss amassed career highs with 21 home runs and 52 RBI while batting .291 in 84 games after being called up from the minors in June. Blevins posted a 5-1 record and a 2.48 earned run average over 63 games out of the bullpen.
Moss, who became only the third Oakland player to hit 20 or more homers in under 100 games, is a .251 lifetime hitter with 36 homers and 130 RBI over parts of six major league seasons with the A's, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Blevins, who has spent his entire six-year career with Oakland, owns an overall 3.35 ERA over 214 relief outings. The 29-year-old southpaw also held left-handed hitters to a .182 average last season.
With the signings of Moss and Blevins, the Athletics have now reached contract agreements with all of their arbitration-eligible players.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.