The Athletics have acquired outfielder Khris Davis from the Brewers in a deal that will send catching prospect Jacob Nottingham and righty Bubba Derby to Milwaukee, per announcements from both teams. Oakland has designated pitcher Sean Nolin to clear roster space.
It’s certainly an interesting swap for both organizations. Oakland will presumably utilize the slugging Davis in left field, where he could share time with veteran Coco Crisp and another younger, right-handed slugger in Mark Canha. The move bolsters the club’s depth across the outfield grass while delivering some upside, too.
After all, Davis only just turned 28, will play at the league minimum this year, and can be controlled for three more seasons thereafter via arbitration. And he’s shown quite a bit with the bat, following a solid 2014 with an even better campaign last year. Over 440 plate appearances, he not only swatted 27 home runs, but posted a strong .247/.323/.505 overall batting line.
Davis is not very highly regarded with the glove, though defensive metrics have been mixed. He actually rated as a plus performer in left in 2014, but dipped into the negative territory last year.
The removal of Nolin from the 40-man roster is interesting to note, too. While he may yet remain with the A’s, if he can pass through outright waivers, the 26-year-old lefty was a not-insignificant part of last winter’s stunning Josh Donaldson trade. He wasn’t great in limited MLB action in 2015, allowing 17 earned runs and logging just 15 strikeouts in 29 frames, but had earned a promotion after battling through injury issues to post a 2.66 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 over 47 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
Looking at the Milwaukee side of the deal, the 20-year-old Nottingham looks like the jewel. He went to Oakland from the Astros — then the home of current Brewers GM David Stearns — as the key piece of last summer’s Scott Kazmir deal. He’s still a ways off, having only reached the High-A level, but does represent a theoretical long-term replacement for star catcher Jonathan Lucroy — who has, of course, been mentioned as a trade candidate quite often this winter.
Nottingham impressed last year, putting up a cumulative .316/.372/.505 batting line with 17 home runs over 511 plate appearances. Nevertheless, he did not crack Baseball America’s recent organizational top-ten list for A’s prospects, though others have been higher on him. John Sickels of SB Nation, for instance, rated him fifth among A’s prospects while noting that his bat is ahead of his glove. And Baseball Prospectus went so far as to place Nottingham as the 66th-best prospect league-wide.
Derby, a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft, had a strong debut in 2015. He only worked 37 1/3 total innings between Rookie ball and Low-A, but racked up 47 strikeouts while holding opposing clubs to just five earned runs. Soon to turn 22, Derby is a product of San Diego State University.
Parting with Davis appears to set up the Brewers to utilize youngster Domingo Santana in left field, giving him a clear shot at regular playing time. Milwaukee has several young players and rebound candidates who’ll be stepping into more regular roles, with an increasingly interesting slate of young talent approaching MLB readiness in the farm.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that a deal was nearing (Twitter links) and then tweeted that Davis would be heading to Oakland in the swap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Why?
Bubba Derby has to be the best baseball name I’ve heard in a long time.
I miss thumbs ups on this thing.
Sean Nolin and Billy Butler for Matt Kemp should happen.
And this would help the A’s how, exactly?
Kemp-Burns-Reddick is a better OF combo than anything they currently have. Kemp can move to RF when Reddick leaves as a FA. Butler is off the team, Davis will be the team’s DH until 2020. You know they will try and get something back for Nolin.
Kemp’s better than Butler and they have to get something back for Nolin? No way Nolin doesn’t get claimed. Will be interesting if SD does indeed claim him.
Nolin is 26 years old and is out of options and his big league future (if he even has one) is that of a LOOGY. Yes, he’ll probably get claimed, but if he does – no big deal.
Not only is Kemp better than Butler but trading the two for each other doesn’t fix the problem SD is trying to fix, it just makes it worse but at another position. Let’s say that trade happened, Myers would most likely move to RF where he came up with KC & TB. You would then have to plug Butler in at first, which would create a huge defensive liability there and you would have the same exact problem you had in right field, now at first base. I think Kemp to Oakland makes sense, because with the Davis trade they are showing they want to compete this year. I think Preller would want a project like Jarod Parker, getting him back to form after TJ surgey. Kemp & cash for Parker & Nolin. thoughts?
Right, but it would be interesting if the Padres did claim him and they’d be able to easily revisit those Kemp rumors (I believe the A’s have been linked with him before) and perhaps see if they can turn that Kemp contract into Billy Butler’s. A’s can platoon both Kemp and Davis between LF and DH with Canha in that mix too and he’ll play 1B when Alonso is sitting. Certainly an upgrade from their standpoint, offense was very weak before.
You’re ignoring the that its a money issue, SD would use Butler as a bench bat or just cut ties with him altogether, He’s owed far less than Kemp, 2/23 vs 4/87. It’s that simple. Nolin is the minor part of the deal. Not a huge return but getting out from that 4/87 is the point of the trade. Kemp’s overpaid and not great, but he’s an upgrade over say, Mark Canha and he takes away the sting of a Reddick departure.
Yeah true, Padres are on the hook for 4 more years of kemp at 21.5 per, Butler just has 2 years remaining so it would shorten the window where we would be totally out from under all the bad contracts we have. Butler & Upton Jr. Would be off the books in 18′ and Shields will probably opt out after this year.
Cashner will likely be dealt at the deadline for multiples of prospects or if he has another down year will be next years Ian Kennedy, reject the QO and get a deal somewhere else. If the team wanted to be opportunistic they could trade Tyson Ross at the deadline as well for a haul similar to what Shelby Miller brought back.
While it might be true, until Myers plays 1B, it might be premature to say that Butler would be more of a defensive liability than Myers. I know Myers can play the OF. I know Butler can play 1B (below average). I know Kemp was probably the worst OF in the NL last year. Overall, Butler at 1B may be an improvement over Kemp in RF.
Oh no absolutely, I get it and think it’s a good idea. I want what’s best for the team and shedding payroll at where the current state of the franchise stands would be ideal. I just wish Preller would give in and stop this notion of were not rebuilding we are retooling crap.
You really think shields is going to opt out after this year? theres no way he makes more money than he is already unless he has a monster year.
To what “Shelby Miller brought back” Tyson Ross?
I don’t think he would want to be a part of another rebuild, rumors around town suggest that he would opt out. Especially if we start blowing it up at the deadline, just don’t see him wanting to sit through another one of these at this point in his career. Guy is a competitor and wants to win.
Nolin & Butler to the Indians for Wolters & Santana. A’s just traded a catching prospect & gets first dibs on Wolters who just got DFA’d. Santana & Butler contracts equal. Beane loves guys like Santana who draws walks with high OBP. Indians need a right-handed bat, alsoButler is more comfortable DH’ing then Santana. Nolin gives the Indians LHP depth in case TJ House doesn’t hold up & could help the bullpen.
That’s really, really awful for the Indians. If they make that trade the Indians GM should be fired. Not fair at all on their end. If you want Santana, Reddick would have to be on the table.
Reddick, I like that idea. You’re right Indians should get more for Santana. I’m just tired of watching Santana, he’s so inconsistent. Statistics are good on paper. When the Indians aquired Santana from the Dodgers the organization made it sound like he was going to be a superstar. I expected an all-star catcher/1B to average at least .275-.300 25 hr and drive in 100. That’s what we need, and get a player that hits .215 -.245 with productive numbers, albeit very misleading.
Cant drive in guys if there’s no high OBP guys in front of him. Santana is a solid 3 fWAR player who rarely plays the field. His bat is great, the ones around him? Not so much.
There’s no match here though.
If you wanna get really technical, Santana has had an fWAR of 3 or higher twice in his career, and only once in the last 4. Granted, he’s always close to 3 so you’re essentially right. And he’s played over 2200 innings the two seasons, as well. He certainly doesn’t “rarely” play the field. But you’re correct, he’s definitely a great bat (save for last season) who the Tribe definitely can’t afford to lose at this point – and if they do, it’s needs to be for a package better than Nolin and Billy freaking Butler.
I agree, maybe not Butler being the piece the Padres want because they would have to use him at First and that would create a big problem with a team who already struggled on defense in 2015. I could see Jarod Parker & Nolin for Kemp and cash. Butler will have to get traded to another AL team that can utilize him at DH and only play him at First when giving the starter a day off or on the road at a NL park during inter league series.
Butler can play 1B, but also the Padres can move him as soon as they can, or just take a lesser money loss than they would be with Kemp.
Also, the Padres are not contending this year. AZ, LA and SF are so much better than they are it’s ridiculous. Preller has to rebuild.
David Ortiz can also play 1B, but is it ideal? I’d almost rather trade Kemp for an AA pitcher if the A’s would be willing to eat all of Kemp’s contract. Sign Morneau to a team friendly 1 year deal a lot like Alexi Ramirez’s deal and put Myers in Right.
We do need to rebuild, However it just seems like the organization is being highly cautious about how they go about doing it keeping in mind that the all-star game is here this year and they need to keep people in the seats.
No one is eating all of kemps contract and it sure as hell won’t be the A’s. Would have to throw in 10 mill a year to get even a AA pitcher
Just like no one is going to pay a guy 10 million a year the next 4 years to play for someone else and hit .270 with 23 and 100. Minus well just keep it and ride it out if that’s the case. So if he was a free agent right now all you think he would get is a 4 year 44 million dollar deal because that’s essentially what it would be if the Padres paid him 10 million a year to go away. That would be quite a bargain for some team.
Additionally, it’s not like the other RF trade candidates offer much of a dispute when it comes to who you would rather have. Markakias, Ethier, Bruce, Braun etc. simply put, Puig & Cargo are the two guys I would prefer if I had to choose but neither of them are going anywhere so why not kemp and why not pay him atleast 15 of the 20 million per season? Padres pay the other 5, so they would be on the hook for 20 million of the 80 remaining, not out of the realm of possibility.
Why wouldn’t it be the A’s? They aren’t poor. They paid Nakajima $6M to never play a game for them, they paid the horrendous Jim Johnson $10M, they paid Eric Chavez $60M to play like 10 games a year. They have money, and always have. Beane just cant get FA hitters to sign here, hence getting Butler – he’s the only one who said yes.
If Matt Kemp was a free agent and my team offered him 4/$44mm To be their RF I would be livid. His only value at this point is DH, but even then, 4/$44mm is more than I would want to give him to only bat. As to the other RF you mentioned, I would definitely rather have Braun and Ethier and probably Markakis too. Kemp is relying on his name at this point and isn’t someone I would take for free at half his current salary.
Wow NL has got a bunch of garbage teams now:
Phillies
Braves
Brewers
Reds
I guarantee you one of those teams or two will get 100 losses
Interestingly any of them could reach .500 with their level of young pitching quality.
My money would be on Milwaukee and Philly reaching 100 losses if I had to choose.
With the pitching questions and a Bruce trade still possible my money may be on the Reds.
I’ll take your money that the Phillies don’t even sniff 100 losses.
Its obvious that you don’t follow them at all.
They’ll win 70-75 (at least) and finish well ahead of the Braves.
Braves are the 100 loss team in the NL.
I think it is harder to lose 100 games than you think. It is doubtful (not impossible) that there are two 100 loss teams.
Woohoo, my Rockies weren’t included on the list of garbage teams. That’s a step up, right? Unless you simply forgot they were in the league (highly possible), in which case it might be a demotion.
Don’t worry bud, you’re not the only one in that division who is looking up at standings year in and year out, my boys are always right there with ya. There will be better days.
I’ve got the Brewers, Reds, Braves, Phillies, Rockies and Padres at 90-105 losses. I’m not sure there’s an AL team even half as bad as any of them. They all have really good farms though, so I can confidently say none of them will be 90+ losses in 2017.
There HAS to be more to this deal? Nottingham is a Top 100 prospect in a handful of publications
True, but probably doesn’t project as an everyday regular until 2018 or even 2019.
Yeah and his projection is power hitting bad defending C who will turn into a 1B ala Mike Napoli.
So basically the Brewers turned Davis now into Davis now, but later in a few years. Does that make sense? Haha.
Oakland will never learn build through the draft
nice hot take! That is because Oakland has been one of the most consistently great teams in MLB since 2000 (8 playoffs, 5th most in MLB) and from 1998 to 2014 finished with 74 WINS or more every year (ONLY Cards and Yanks among them).
This year will be the first time they’ve had a Top 8 draft pick since 1999! Let that sink in…..a team with an annual bottom 5 payroll will be drafting in the Top 8 for the first time in over 17 years!
The A’s haven’t had the luxury of top draft picks or a top payroll, yet they’ve been very very good. Then again, this points to the benefits of being bad for years and stockpiling top talent like the Astros, Cubs, Royals, Rays, Pirates, etc. etc. did.
Zero World Titles.
Along with most other teams.
Nice try. 4 World Championships since moving to Oakland in 1968, the MOST OUT WEST in that time frame.
In fact, more impressive I think, are the 16 Division Titles in the 48 years in Oakland. I mean, the 8 playoffs since 2000 all with zero payroll is amazing, and the 2012-2014 run of MOST WINS in the league despite a bottom 5 payroll every year was so much fun. So, the recent and consistent success has been awesome, but the 4 World Championships and 16 Division Titles in 48 years in OAKLAND is remarkable, and yes, Best in the West.
I will simply ignore the irony of a “championship” comment coming from a Cubs fan, despite my love for the City of Chicago. Study up Soler!
Coming from a guy with a Cubs reference in his username
oakland isnt a good team they havent been elite in years they have always sucked in the playoffs
haven’t been elite in years? Were you just recently born, 2015, if so, it is remarkable that you can already “type!.”
They just finished making the playoffs 3 of the past 4 years, which is more than almost every team in the sport. And, well, the ELITE part was leading the entire LEAGUE in WINS during that 2012-2014 stretch. That is 3 years of baseball, 3 years of leading your entire league in WINS. That is 486 games worth of “elite.” And that is 3 of the past 4 years. Is that recent enough for you? If not, start in 2000. They reached the playoffs 8 times since then, 5th most in MLB.
Come on dude.
I think their main point is that despite that terrific regular season success the A’s haven’t won in the playoffs and that is what you’re remembered for.
Sure, recently I suppose. And all the Beane haters love to point to that, as if to say, “look, amazing what the A’s have done with zero payroll, zero stadium, and territorial arguments yearly….but you are the reason the A’s haven’t caught a break in any of those heartbreaking Game 5 loses! You were the one that didn’t slide into homeplate on the Jeter flip play. You were the one that told TIm Hudson to get into a bar fight before the 2003 ALDS. You were the one that broke Jermaine Dye’s leg. You were the one that changed the 2013 playoff structure so that the superior 96 win Oakland A’s started on the road at the 93 win Detroit Tigers. Etc. etc.”
But hey, the 4 World Championships and 16 Division Titles, so, the MOST HISTORIC success out West since the day the A’s landed in Oakland in 1968, coupled with elite recent and consistent success, is how I celebrate my fanhood, daily! But to each his own.
Lastly, go Auburn! Josh Donaldson made me appreciate them.
Sorry to break it to you, but all of your posts seem to be amateurish at best.
If your young in the game, or simply new to the game study up!
if you keep losing in the playoffs and keep trading star players sooner then you should, it doesnt make you elite lol
are you for real? can you read? who is “elite’ to you?
study up man. YIKES
haha! Great insight, amazing hot take.
Listing the historic dominance, backed by indisputable facts and stats, coupled with the consistent success, backed by indisputable facts and stats, coupled with the recent success, backed by the indisputable facts and stats, equals amateurish to you?
I wonder who your authority of intelligent sports discourse is then?
Come on man. 4 World Championships and 16 Division Titles in 48 years. 8 Playoffs in the last 16 seasons, and 3 in the past 4, while leading the league in WINS from 2012-2014.
Thanks for stealing my slogan, but I truly advise you to meditate upon these hard truths, and give your attempt at an intelligent rebuttal much more thinking.
if you want to see elite look at the yanks and cardianls once in awhile
Nice take “ryanmesick”.
A’s are indeed a consistently competitive and dominant organization.
Beane has always reloaded not rebuild.
2008-2011 he rebuilt. And then at last years deadline with his massive hauls for Zobrist, Clippard and Kazmir. Pretty much the only times he has.
Funny how he turned 2 months of Scott Kazmir, a non-elite guy, into 4 years of Khris Davis and a pretty intriguing pitching prospect in Mendgen who has the best stache in org history since Rollie Fingers.
Wonderful deal for Brewers. Davis is an OK, power-only type. Nottingham is what they got for Scott Kazmir and is a legit C prospect. Those guys are few and far between.
Nevermind this comment. I should follow the Brewers more. Didn’t know how good a year Davis had last year.
Good trade for Oakland
You’re joking right?
Nope not at all. Got Davis who hit 27 HR in 440 PA. For a prospect catcher that hasn’t played past High Single A. A’s needed a power hitting left fielder and got one that is controllable for a few years. Yes good trade
does this mean they will try harder to get rid of butler?
With the Brewers getting a top notch catching prospect I wonder if this means that they’ll more inclined to deal Jonathan Lucroy?
Possible, but I doubt it really escialtes things as Nottingham isn’t expected to be up for a couple years and Lucroy would be gone by then anyway. Still going to take the right deal for them to part with him.
does this mean the a’s will try harder to get rid of butler?
I don’t understand Billy at all, I used to!! But not anymore
Why? The A’s needed a power hitting OF and got one.
davis 28 yrs old 21 hr in second half last yr. win goes to oak.
THIS! Davis hit 27 HOME RUNS in 440 PAs last year. And if you think about it, Beane just flipped 2.5 months of Kazmir into 4 years of controlled Khris Davis, who is ML ready and has monster upside!
AMAZING!
It was a good trade but I hardly call it amazing. Amazing is some of the deals the Braves have pulled off since last offseason.
Braves trades need to be handicapped though because two of those monster deals were done with the Diamondbacks FO… so yeah they sold a dead parakeet to a blind kid…. twice.
This was a pretty darn good trade for the A’s and the Brewers. Personally I think the A’s got the better end because. 27 HR in 441 ABs.
I actually like the trade from both sides. Davis has big power but also strikes out a ton, plays sub-par defense, and has the worst arm since Johnny Damon. Fits much better in the AL where he can occasionally DH. At the same time the Brewers get a potential impact bat at a position they desperately need and an intriguing power arm. Would have preferred it if the Brewers held on to him til the deadline to see if he could increase his value, but they needed to do something about their crowded OF.
Funny, because I think the A’s are kinda thinking they’ll be trading Davis at the deadline for much more than theyre parting with here.
As streaky and injury prone as he’s been it’s hard to believe they would trade for a guy just to hope things pan out and they can flip him later, but it could end up happening.
Just wait until someone scores from 1st on a single to left. Then we’ll see how amazing this trade is for OAK
Interesting trade. My initial thoughts are Milwaukee being the “winner” but Davis has shown himself to be a damn good hitter. Never below 100 OPS and peaked at 158.
Nottingham is a good get. Wonder if this makes Lucroy a bit more expandable. They can always shift him to 1B
Nottingham is a 20 year old who’s never played above high a. I doubt it effects lucroy that much aside from that extension he was never getting.
I’ve never understood the infatuation with Khris Davis. After two full seasons he’s hit in the .240s, with a career OBP now up to .315. He hits some homeruns (but not a huge number), but that’s it, most other things about him are negatives. 2.1 bWAR in 2014, but only 0.8 bWAR in 2015. Limited defensively to LF.
I don’t think the article adequately addresses what use the A’s have for him, anyway…
He was traded for Nottingham, one of the top catching prospects (#8 according to MLBPipeline’s recent list) in the game. Great move for the rebuilding Brewers, in my opinion, but a head scratcher for the A’s…
His Home/Away splits in 2015 were really something else too, the Ball was flying in Milwaukee last year.
Steamer has him at 1,1 fWAR next year, Canha at 0.9, so it’s a minor upgrade plus a guy they can hit cleanup behind Reddick so Reddick might get more pitches to hit – important to a guy in a walk year. If Reddick hits 30 bombs with a .350 OBP and wins a gold glove, he’s in line for a $100 million deal.
You do realize that the #8 rated catcher is not exactly destined to be a superstar in the making, right? It’s not like #8 starting pitcher or #8 outfielder. Every season there are only about 6-7 catchers of all ages, if that many, that could be called a star player. It is a utilitarian position for most teams. This guy is far more likely to be Carlos Santana than Jonathan Lucroy or Buster Posey.
Oakland is getting a relatively young, big league proven power hitter that is still making league minimum and is under team control until 2020. Not bad for a catcher that will likely have to be moved to first because he can’t catch if and when he makes the majors around 2019.
Prospectus had Nottingham as the #66 overall prospect in baseball. Some a bullish on him, some aren’t. Apparently the bat is ready now but the glove isn’t.
Oakland turned a potential home run hitter into a current one. Not bad for 2 months of Kazmir.
Nottingham is a future 1b. His catching abilities were not very good. Derby is good future reliever. Now wondering what is up with Beane? The A’s don’t look like a contender this year so why mortgage the future?
How far away is Nottingham? Could he make the Brewers this year? If so, this paves the way for trading Lucroy.
Never over high-A, probably at least 2 years out still especially behind the plate. May have to move to 1B.
High A ball this year maybe a promotion to AA if he hits very well again. 2017 AA most likely to AAA. 2018 is the earliest he could be in the majors. Derby is about the same time frame away but being a pitcher could advance quicker.
I am going to get a lot of hate for this comment, but I feel like Billy Beane is a bit overrated. He’s an innovator don’t get me wrong but generally when someone has this much attention, that someone’s teams are generally winners. He’s done a great job with the salary issues he’s been forced to work with, but I don’t understand all the love because he has not brought a World Series to Oakland. Great innovator, but mediocre winner.
8 playoffs in 15 years kind of goes against that narrative. He refuses to buy into the payroll thing, so he gets that underdog status, but he has his hits and misses. You generally want guy who will get you to the postseason half of the years he’s been in charge, that’s a borderline HOFer.
Also, have you seen the ways they’ve been eliminated in the postseason? It’s brutal, they’ve lost 6 LDS’s 3-2! It’s not they benefitted from a weak division and got smacked around by a better team, we are talking series being lost by singular plays. Those kinds of things are completely insane to blame on Beane.
Great response Just Another Fan!
Also wanted to add, the A’s under Beane have NEVER had the luxury of a top payroll, I believe twice during his tenure they’ve been Top 20 in payroll. And they are annually, under Beane, in the bottom 5 in payroll. Likewise, they’ve NEVER had the luxury of top draft picks, as he has drafted in the Top 9 once….because he always builds consistently good and competitive teams. From 1998 to 2014 the Oakland A’s won 74 games or more EVERY YEAR! That is……insane!
So, no luxury of top payroll, no luxury of top draft picks, yet, all he has done is build teams that have gone to the postseason, as you stated, 8 times in 15 years, which is the 5th most in MLB during that stretch (and you better believe the other 4 teams in that group play by much much much different rules with much much much more payroll).
While I agree with your statement, I am tiring of you repeating it over and over. Since you have stated your case, repeating it does not make it stronger.
If I could like stymeedone’s reply twice, I would.
I’ll agree with your reply. Which is kinda the same thing
No, its not “insane” to win 74 games, thats an extremely low amount of wins and any GM can get their team there.
The Crew really needs to capitalize and bring back a great haul when they move Lucroy.
Shapiro’s moment to shine – he complained that AA emptied the system – better put a claim in on Nolin to get him back…
All it means for a Lucroy trade is that if the Brewers do deal him they don’t have to get a catching prospect back in return. There’s no pressure to flip him. They can be patient and wait for the right trade.
I realize batting average is only one measure, but I have a hard time with anyone calling a line that contains a .247 average as “strong”. I would call it solid but unspectacular. Can’t even imagine how he would describe Votto, Goldschmidt, Harper or Cabrera.
He was one of the game’s fifty best overall hitters last year (min. 400 PA) by measure of wRC+: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=400&type=8&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=17,d&page=2_30
His park-adjusted batting output was better than Heyward, Upton, Arenado, Betts, Reddick (to name a few).
Oakland has been irritating me recently. Despite a great trade deadline in which they were able to acquire a lot of notable talent for all of their impending free agents, as well as the acquisition of Danny Valencia, the past two offseasons have befuddled me. Starting with the Butler signing and the Donaldson trade of last year and the overpaying of relievers and now this? Why would you give up Nottingham (the stronger part of the Kazmir return) plus for a solid, however unspectacular outfielder. They would be better off going for a guy like Michael Bourn or Alex Guerrero and keeping their prospects. Also, what is up with DFA-ing Nolin?? Regardless of his struggles, he’s a 26 year old lefty starter who has the upside of a 2-3! Good for Milwaukee–oh and for all of the people saying that this is foreshadowing for a Lucroy trade, it really isn’t– Nottingham’s like 2 years away. If Lucroy was traded, Maldonado starts and Pinto backs-up which could be a good thing. Pinto seems like a breakout candidate in my opinion.
It’s not necessarily foreshadowing a Lucroy trade, but it does may make it easier. Rumor was they were looking for a catching prospect in return in any deal due to their lack of organizational depth, and now that they may have their guy it could allow them to explore other possible trades with teams who didn’t have a catching prospect to offer up. They know 3 years from now id the goal and Lucroy will be gone by then so I don’t think they have any reservations about Maldonado and Pinto manning the dish for now if they find a deal for Luc that they like.
Solid points, Beane in my opinion either strikes gold on deals or gets hosed and there never really is a grey or middle area. He trades guys at the peak of their upside in order to get maximum return for them in the hopes that the player traded away levels out an becomes an average Joe with their new team. That worked with Cahill and to be honest aside from his first year in Washington, Gio hasn’t been all that special either. Gregerson for Seth Smith was a good deal, just couldn’t resign him once he hit FA. The deal I think he wish he could have back was Tyson Ross for Andy Parrino & Andrew Werner.
Overall his Beane’s motive is clear. This is a small market team and I have minimal resources to work with, so the minute I can receive maximum return on a player I need to press the eject button to get 4 pieces with the hopes that 2-3 of them will be as good as the one I’m letting go. Crappy strategy but it’s a must for teams that are forced to constantly curb their spending.
Gio hasn’t been that special???!!!! 53-34 with a 3.38 ERA (including a Cy Young contending season in 2012) in 4 years isn’t great in your mind? Not sabermetricky enough for you? How about a 3.08 FIP and 9.0 K/9? What exactly does a pitcher need to do to impress you?
Aside from 2012, like you mentioned when he had that monster year he has been beyond solid. Don’t get me wrong, 32-26 with and era in the low 3’s is legit. I guess he just gets overshadowed in Washington, I mean he has always been their number 3 and can argue last year was their #4 guy behind Scherzer, Zimm & Strasburgh. He deserves more credit than he gets because I thought his numbers were pretty pedestrian until just seeing them now. With that being said though however, I still would take 8-9 other lefty starters in the league over him in a heart beat.
The deal Beane blew harder than the Donaldson one was not getting a top 100 prospect for Bandon Moss like the Indians did.
Beane gets infatuated with these borderline bad prospects like Nolin and Wendle and gets obsessed with them. Neither of them ever stood out to me and I am still perplexed as to why he goes after guys like that when far greater ones are available.
I also noticed him repeat himself saying that he rarely puts anyone on the table and lets teams come to him. That’s a hugely flawed process – pretty sure no one other than the Jays knew Donaldson was attainable. Terrible process, not letting everyone know and bid against each other to drive up the prospect price. We saw it this offseason with the Kimbrel and Giles deals.
Oakland needed an upgrade in left field with power and got one with Davis. Nottingham hasn’t played higher than single a. Just like people say when Beane trades for prospects. Nottingham is just a prospect and hasn’t been proven yet.
2016 Athletics? Doesn’t look bad at all.
1B) Canha / Alonso
2B) Semien
SS) Lowrie
3B) Valencia
C) Vogt
LF) K. Davis
CF) Burns
RF) Reddick
DH) Butler
Bench – Crisp / Smolinski / Phegley / Lambo / Wendle
SP) Gray
SP) Hill
SP) Graveman
SP) Hahn
SP) Bassitt
SP) Alvarez
(Brooks and Parker as well)
RP) Doolittle
RP) Madson
RP) Hendricks
RP) Axford
RP) Rzepczynski
RP) Rodriguez
RP) Dull
That’s still 2-3 upgrades away from being able to even think about catching the Rangers and Astros. No team giving Butler regular ABs can be called good.
You also listed more than 25 guys. Next time just pull from the roster resource depth chart http://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-oakland-athletics
Brewers just need to claim Nolin now. That would be a heck of a return for Davis.
I wonder why the Rockies didn’t trade cargo. Hiss value is higher than its been in awhile. Maybe they didn’t get a reasonable offer? Idk.
I’m curious as to why the A’s didn’t go after Lucroy and/or Will Smith. If Smith is in this deal then Beane hosed the Brewers. Instead it’s a pretty fair deal for both sides.