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Athletics Acquire Craig Gentry, Josh Lindblom
12:48pm: The A's will also receive right-hander Josh Lindblom from the Rangers, tweets Passan. Minor league second baseman Chris Bostick will head to Texas in the trade as well.
12:47pm: The Rangers are receiving multiple minor leaguers in the deal, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
12:38pm: The A's have acquired outfielder Craig Gentry from the Rangers in exchange for Michael Choice, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Other players are involved in the deal as well, adds Passan.
Gentry, who turned 30 last week, is regarded as one of the game's best defensive outfielders and is coming off a season in which he batted .280/.373/.386 with a pair of homers and 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He boasts an outstanding 29.5 UZR/150 in more than 1400 career innings in center field, and The Fielding Bible likes him for +34 runs saved in his career.
Gentry has thrived against left-handed pitching throughout his career, compiling a solid .288/.376/.399 slash line. He's serviceable against right-handed pitchers as well, though his OBP (.334) and slugging (.335) are significantly lower against same-handed pitching.
Lindblom, 26, has primarily served as a reliever in his big league career, but Passan notes that the A's are planning to use him as a starter (Twitter link). Lindblom has a career 3.82 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 34.3 percent ground-ball rate. His flyball tendencies should be much better suited for Oakland's O.Co Coliseum than Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Choice is a 24-year-old outfielder who played all three positions for the Athletics' Triple-A club this year. The 10th overall pick by the A's in 2010, Choice made his big league debut in September this year. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him second among A's prospects, praising his power and bat speed while noting a propensity for strikeouts and fringy arm strength. Choice went on to hit .302/.390/.445 with 14 home runs in 600 Triple-A plate appearances. He's a native of Arlington, Texas.
Bostick, 21 in March, was a 44th round pick out of high school by the A's in 2011. A second baseman, he hit .282/.354/.452 with 14 home runs in 555 A-ball plate appearances this year. Prior to the season, BA ranked him 20th among A's prospects, citing sneaky power and the potential to become more than a utilityman.
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