A's get reliever Chad Smith from Rockies for minor leaguer

Colorado Rockies rookie Wynton Bernard and his mom talk about his journey to MLB

The Oakland Athletics picked up right-handed reliever Chad Smith in a trade with the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. The Rockies acquired minor league pitcher Jeff Criswell in the deal.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Chad Smith #56 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the six inning at Oracle Park on September 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California. / Getty Images

Smith made 15 appearances for the Rockies last season, going 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA. The 27-year-old Smith spent a chunk of the 2022 season at Albuquerque, where he had 12 saves for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate.

Criswell worked his way through the Athletics' minor-league system last season. He went a combined 4-10 with a 4.03 ERA while pitching at High-A Lansing, Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas. He also had 119 strikeouts over 118 1/3 innings and walked 45.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 24: Relief pitcher Chad Smith #70 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning of the MLB spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 24, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Christian Petersen / Getty Images

The right-handed Criswell was a second-round pick by Oakland in 2020. He was 4-10 with a 4.07 over 29 career appearances for the University of Michigan.