Paul Blackburn and Seth Brown agree to 1-year contracts with the A’s, avoiding arbitration

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Right-hander Paul Blackburn and outfielder Seth Brown agreed to one-year contracts with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

Both players avoided salary arbitration with the team. Blackburn, an All-Star in 2022, gets $3.45 million after earning $1.9 million last season. Brown’s deal is for $2.6 million plus potential award bonuses, a substantial raise from the $730,000 he made in 2023.

Blackburn and Brown were the only two Oakland players still eligible for arbitration this winter.

The 31-year-old Brown, who started at four spots in 2023, hit .222 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs over 91 games last season for the A’s. He missed time with a strained left oblique. Brown made 49 starts in right field, 18 in left, 13 at first base and 12 as the designated hitter.

Blackburn went 4-7 with a 4.43 ERA and a career-high 104 strikeouts. He matched his career best with 21 appearances, including 20 starts.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB