Astros acquire McCurry in Lowrie deal

Thanksgiving's going to be a little different for Brendan McCurry this year. 

The 23-year-old right-handed reliever was dealt from the A's to the Astros on Wednesday as part of a trade that sent Major League infielder Jed Lowrie the other way, the clubs confirmed.

#Astros officially acquire minor league RHP Brendan McCurry from Oakland in exchange for IF Jed Lowrie.

- Houston Astros (@astros) November 25, 2015

McCurry was listed as Oakland's No. 30 prospect by MLB.com at the time of the deal and moves into the same spot in the Astros' system. The 5-foot-10 right-hander was taken by Oakland out of Oklahoma State in the 22nd round of the 2014 Draft. In his first full season this summer, he was dominant for both Class A Advanced Stockton and Double-A Midland. At the two stops, McCurry earned 27 saves in 28 chances while posting a 1.86 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with an 82/17 K/BB ratio in 63 innings. Those numbers earned him his spot as the reliever on this year's A's Organization All-Stars, announced Wednesday. The A's sent McCurry to the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 4.73 ERA over the small sample of 13 1/3 innings while striking out 16 and walking only two. 

"He's got a great attitude for a guy that you like to bring in at the end of the game," Midland manager Ryan Christenson told MiLB.com's Alex Kraft. "He's all business. He's unfazed ... and he's not afraid of any situation that comes up. He's got an arsenal of a bunch of different pitches, and it's going to be interesting to see if he continues using all his arm slots. ... He's coming from two or three different arm angles throwing all of his pitches, and it's tough. The hitter doesn't really know what to sit on."

In its writeup on McCurry, MLB.com noted that he isn't a fireballer -- his fastball tops out around 93 mph -- but added that he has a 55-grade curveball on the 20-80 scale as well as average slider and changeup offerings. His best tool might be his control, as evidenced by his 2.4 BB/9 in 2015. His high strikeout numbers (11.7 K/9 in 2015) come from his deceptive ability to use different arm slots. Without a major plus pitch, however, McCurry's future Major League role likely isn't greater than middle relief.

Lowrie rejoins the A's after playing for the club in 2013 and 2014. He signed a three-year deal with the Astros last offseason but was limited to only 69 games due to injuries in 2015 and hit .222/.312/.400. He played both shortstop and third base with Houston and has some experience at second, dating back to his first stint with Oakland. The 31-year-old is due $14 million over the next two seasons and has a $6 million team option for 2018 with a $1 million buyout. 

By moving Lowrie, the Astros' 40-man roster now has 39 players.