Brandon Moss, Ryan Buchter Traded to A's; Royals Receive Jesse Hahn, More

The Oakland Athletics announced on Monday that they acquired reliever Ryan Buchter, designated hitter Brandon Moss and cash considerations from the Kansas City Royals for starting pitcher Jesse Hahn and minor league pitcher Heath Fillmyer.

MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan noted the trade gives the Royals a little more financial flexibility in order to re-sign free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer. Moss is set to earn $7.25 million in 2018 and has a $10 million club option in 2019.

Whether the Royals intend on bringing Hosmer back or not, general manager Dayton Moore told the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd "the economic part of [the trade] is very real" for the team.

Moss was an All-Star in his final season with the A's in 2014, but he has struggled offensively since. Between his time with the Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians, he batted .220 with 69 home runs, 175 RBI and a .439 slugging percentage.

Buchter strengthens Oakland's bullpen. The 30-year-old left-hander had a 2.86 ERA in 2016 with the San Diego Padres and a 2.89 ERA in 2017 with the Padres and Royals.

Beyond Buchter's talent, he's sorely needed for a team that previously had one southpaw (Daniel Coulombe) penciled in for a relief role.

Although finances were a factor in this trade, the Royals aren't walking away empty-handed. MLB.com's Andrew Simon showed Hahn's awful ERA didn't tell the full story about his 2017 season:

Hahn can push for a spot at the back end of Kansas City's rotation, and most importantly, he's under team control through the 2021 season.

Rotoworld's Christopher Crawford also sees Fillmyer as a solid prospect:

The 23-year-old has yet to get above Double-A, where he's 13-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 37 starts.

Assuming he can build on that success in Triple-A, Fillmyer might be in line for a promotion when MLB rosters expand in September. The Royals could foresee 2019 as a more realistic call-up date.