The Atlanta Braves number four prospect back in 2022, Kyle Muller, was one of the headlining pieces that went to Oakland in the Sean Murphy deal. The big lefty was a second round pick out Dallas, TX and showed a lot of promise when he was developing in the Braves' farm system thanks to his imposing frame and occasionally plus stuff.
However, his constant command struggles really handcuffed him in both Atlanta and Oakland. Now, Muller will look to jumpstart his career with the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) over in Japan according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Kyle Muller signs with NPB team as he tries to save his career in Japan
The 27 year-old lefty still has time to rediscover what once made him a top prospect for Atlanta. In his two years with the big league Braves, Muller made 11 starts with a 5.14 ERA and 4.05 FIP.
Kyle Muller, Filthy Curveballs. 😷 pic.twitter.com/nwCsLzQ0iL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 27, 2021
Once he landed with Oakland, Muller was given the opportunity to entrench himself into a Major League rotation. Sadly, Muller wasn't able to accomplish much with that opportunity with the rebuilding A's. In 2023, Muller made 13 starts and had a pretty rough7.60 ERA. Oakland decided to move him to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
In 2024, Muller finally improved his command struggles while pitching exclusively out of the bullpen. He managed to drop his BB/9 from the 5 range to below 2. However, he wasn't really missing a ton of bats and posted a 4.01 ERA last season.
Muller was out of minor league options and DFA'd by Oakland in August of last season. Rather than bounce around on the waiver wire, Muller opted for free agency and has found his new home overseas. Ultimately, it's a trade both clubs are probably questioning if they'd still make today. Muller is a big guy who possesses a powerful left-arm so the potential to preform and comeback to the Majors isn't out of the question for the young man.