OAKLAND -- Brandon Moss is back, and with him comes a lefty reliever to an A's club that was in dire need of one.Dealing from an area of surplus, the A's sent right-handers Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer to the Royals on Monday evening to acquire Moss and southpaw Ryan Buchter, thus completing their offseason to-do list.Buchter gives Oakland a second lefty in the bullpen next to Daniel Coulombe, becoming the third reliever to join the team this winter. The A's added right-handers Emilio Pagan and Yusmeiro Petit earlier in the offseason as part of efforts to bolster their relief corps. 
Buchter put together a 2.89 ERA in a career-high 71 appearances last year, splitting his time with the Padres and Royals. He limited opponents to a .187 batting average, including .176 against left-handers. Over three big league seasons -- his first coming in 2014 with Atlanta -- Buchter has a 2.85 ERA in 139 games.While the A's desire for bullpen help was well-documented, they were seemingly set elsewhere, calling into question Moss' place on this roster. He spent the bulk of the 2017 season in the DH spot for Kansas City, a role Khris Davis is expected to assume most days. Moss, of course, spent the majority of his first tenure with the A's at first base, now home to Matt Olson. The outfield is also crowded.Moss, who hit .207 with 22 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games last year, enjoyed a breakout year with the A's in 2012, his first of three seasons with them. Oakland made the postseason each of those years, before Moss was dealt to Cleveland in a December 2014 trade for infielder Joey Wendle, who was traded to Tampa Bay this winter.The 34-year-old has one year remaining on a two-year, $12 million deal that will see him take home $7.25 million this season. As part of Monday's deal, the A's received $3.25 million to offset the remaining dollars on his contract, which also included a $1 million buyout.Hahn finished his A's career 11-16 with a 4.57 ERA in 39 games (38 starts), his best stretch coming in 2015: he pitched to a 3.35 ERA in his first 16 starts, before injury prematurely ended his season. Hahn has since been shuffled back and forth from Triple-A.Fillmyer, the A's fifth-round selection in the 2014 Draft, was 22-24 with a 3.78 ERA in 84 games, including 75 starts, in four Minor League seasons in the organization.Jane Lee /MLB.com
Buchter put together a 2.89 ERA in a career-high 71 appearances last year, splitting his time with the Padres and Royals. He limited opponents to a .187 batting average, including .176 against left-handers. Over three big league seasons -- his first coming in 2014 with Atlanta -- Buchter has a 2.85 ERA in 139 games.While the A's desire for bullpen help was well-documented, they were seemingly set elsewhere, calling into question Moss' place on this roster. He spent the bulk of the 2017 season in the DH spot for Kansas City, a role Khris Davis is expected to assume most days. Moss, of course, spent the majority of his first tenure with the A's at first base, now home to Matt Olson. The outfield is also crowded.Moss, who hit .207 with 22 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games last year, enjoyed a breakout year with the A's in 2012, his first of three seasons with them. Oakland made the postseason each of those years, before Moss was dealt to Cleveland in a December 2014 trade for infielder Joey Wendle, who was traded to Tampa Bay this winter.The 34-year-old has one year remaining on a two-year, $12 million deal that will see him take home $7.25 million this season. As part of Monday's deal, the A's received $3.25 million to offset the remaining dollars on his contract, which also included a $1 million buyout.Hahn finished his A's career 11-16 with a 4.57 ERA in 39 games (38 starts), his best stretch coming in 2015: he pitched to a 3.35 ERA in his first 16 starts, before injury prematurely ended his season. Hahn has since been shuffled back and forth from Triple-A.Fillmyer, the A's fifth-round selection in the 2014 Draft, was 22-24 with a 3.78 ERA in 84 games, including 75 starts, in four Minor League seasons in the organization.Jane Lee /MLB.com
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