A's Acquire Snelling For Langerhans

According to Baseball Digest Daily, the A's have acquired Chris Snelling from the Nationals for the just-received Ryan Langerhans.  I hope neither guy bought a condo.

Pretty interesting swap between Billy Beane and Jim Bowden.  Snelling, aka Doyle (his middle name) in U.S.S. Mariner world, was a cult favorite for many Mariners fans.  His inclusion in the Jose Vidro deal this winter was met with great disdain.  Oddly, Langerhans shows up as his fifth most comparable player according to Baseball Prospectus. 

Langerhans is a little older, and has done a better job staying healthy.  Both players can handle multiple outfield positions (well, not at once) and know how to draw a walk. They've got eerily similar PECOTA projections, so maybe it was just a matter of each GM preferring to bet on the other guy's outfielder.  I think the best case scenario is that one of these guys develops into Jeromy Burnitz.

Check out Chris Needham's take on the trade over at Capitol Punishment.

Comments

[zubes007]

I wonder how Bavasi/Schuerholz feel now that their former OFs are now playing for division rivals.

Wilhelm has like Snelling for a long time...maybe he got Langerhans just for that purpose, the sneaky devil.

[DentalPlan]

I've liked Snelling for a while too. I'm uncertain as to why everyone's so quick to send him on his way.

[bravesbeast]

My feeling is that Schuerholz is not gonna lose any sleep over the fact that Langerhans is now a National.

1. I do not believe you can really be heartbroken over a .071 Batting Average.

2. I would not exactly call the Nationals a rival at this point, you can say divison foe.

I wish the best to langerhans though, hope he can find his swing and keep his great glove whereever he goes.

[cascando]

I'd be surprised if either of these guys came anywhere near Burnitz. His peak was stellar (.270/.402/.561) and even after a few bad years, he has a career 111 OPS+.

[RotoAuthority]

Burnitz is not the likely outcome; he is the best case scenario. He fits the player type and was a late bloomer as well.

[notsellingjeans]

Burnitz's peak and late-bloomer status coincided conspicuously with the steroid era.

We'll see less semi-athletic, "late-bloomer" types in general in this decade as pharmaceutical enhancement is fazed out.

I could see an injury-free Snelling posting an .800 OPS eventually, but I'd be very skeptical of him remaining injury-free, too.

[rotoenquire]

I have watched Snelling for a long time in the Mariners farm system....He has a solid bat and is an above average outfielder...If healthy and with steady playing time he should be better than Burnitz. Snelling was a solid top end prospect in the M's system till injuries happened. Also these were dumb injuries, he is a very aggressive in the field and on the base paths running into walls and catchers is what got him hurt....if he could not go 150% all the time he should last for a full season...OR in the AL a solid DH type.