2:43pm: In total, the Indians will pay around $500K of the tab for Crisp, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.
2:15pm: Cleveland will receive $1,673,497 in cash from Oakland in the deal, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press (via Twitter). By my count, Crisp has just under $2MM remaining in salary the rest of the way, so clearly the bulk will be retained by the A’s. It isn’t clear who is on the hook for a $750K buyout of next year’s $13MM option.
10:33am: The Indians and Athletics have announced a deal that sends veteran outfielder Coco Crisp to Cleveland in exchange for lefty Colt Hynes. MLBTR’s Steve Adams first reported that a deal was nearing and that Crisp had waived his no-trade protection (Twitter links), and John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reported that the swap was finalized.
Crisp is a 36-year-old, switch-hitting outfielder who is set to hit the open market after the season — assuming that he doesn’t reach the 550 plate appearances or 130 games played that he’d need for his $13MM option to vest. Odds are, that won’t occur at this stage, particularly since Crisp is likely ticketed for part-time duty in his new home.
Though he understandably isn’t playing at his career-best levels, Crisp has managed to put up just-below-average overall offensive production with a .234/.299/.399 slash and 11 home runs over 434 plate appearances. Defensive metrics no longer view him as a plausible option in center, but Defensive Runs Saved credited him with average glovework in left this season.
As has long been the case, and as a glance at Cleveland’s current depth chart shows, the organization has made do thus far with a somewhat surprising mix of players in the outfield. Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, Rajai Davis, Brandon Guyer, and Michael Martinez are all on hand as options, though one wonders whether the switch-hitting Martinez would lose his roster spot if Crisp is brought in.
Covering for the loss of Michael Brantley hasn’t been easy, but that group has rather remarkably combined to post the third-highest fWAR tally of any outfield in the game. Crisp will deepen the mix down the stretch and potentially provide another bat in the postseason.
For the A’s, facilitating a playoff run for a veteran while freeing up playing time for younger players appear to have been the primary considerations. The 31-year-old Hynes has been a popular waiver wire target at times, but still has only limited time in the majors. He is carrying 9.9 K/9 against just 1.7 BB/9 this year over 47 1/3 minor league frames, but he didn’t impress enough to receive a call-up from either the Blue Jays or the Indians.
The move represents something of a homecoming for Crisp, who began his major league career in Cleveland way back in 2002. From there, he moved on to the Red Sox, where he played under current Indians skipper Terry Francona, and stopped with the Royals before moving on to Oakland, where he has been since 2010. He is currently playing out the tail end of an extension he signed with the A’s in the spring of 2014.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Good trade for the Indians
NOOOO I LOVE COCO
Reminds me of a terrible song
Welp Vogt and Gray are the only ones left from the contending A’s of ’12 and ’13.
They’ve gotta be the most tortured fan base in sports. Every time they get a good player, they trade him, and when they finally bought when they were contenders, they ended up flopping
I see several other replies to already disavow this point. I think that until the Cubs win the WS, they by far are the most tortured fans.
The A’s are tortured, by a old stadium that isn’t really historic and by cheap owners. But to the positive, last year I watched several games on Tuesday nights for $4 tickets and FREE parking. Both this year and last year are disappointing, but they don’t get blown out, they lose more one run games than anyone (I think). It is still an entertaining product and good time to be had..
I agree, there is a nice crop of young players rising to the bigs, and when they get here, I hope the owners finally cough up the money to keep them. But blaming Billy Beane and Ken Forst is wrong…….they do more with less than anyone except possibly Tampa Bay.
As a cub fan I agree. Hopefully our torture ends this year.
Mets fan disagree with our small market big market team.
Said the team who paid Cespedes 27 million.
hmm, interesting prisoner of the moment hot-take, most A’s fans I know are extremely happy, as all they’ve known is historic success, consistent success, and recent success since moving to OAKLAND in 1968.
That is 4 World Championships and 16 Division Titles in their 48 years in Oakland (most in the West Coast and a Division Title every 3 years).
2015 was the first time the Oakland A’s had won less than 74 games in the Bill Beane era (dating back to 1998, only the Cardinals and Yankees could say the same), and that was after a 2012-2014 three year stretch of leading the AL in WINS while winning back-to-back AL West Titles and 3 straight postseasons, making that 8 postseasons for the A’s since the year 2000, tied for 4th most in MLB over that time, all despite the real issue facing the franchise: HORRIBLE and CHEAP ownership!
I do agree that they are tortured — if they were an East Coast team they’d call it ‘cursed.’ As in 6 of their 8 postseason births since the year 2000 have ended in heartbreaking Game 5 loses, all of which could have gone the A’s way, not to mention the painful 2014 WC Game.
The bottom line is: they are historically elite, consistently good and recently good, all despite an annual bottom 5 payroll and horrible ownership. THEY NEED NEW OWNERSHIP and a new ballpark.
You just saved me from having to write this exact thing. The team isn’t for the casual fan but for baseball nerds, the A’s are always doing interesting things worth talking about.
very well put FAILEDSTATE..
Historically, recently and consistently they are a joy to watch. Especially recently, their streak from 2012-2014, leading the AL in WINS during that three year stretch and making three straight postseasons (all with a bottom 5 payroll, winning an unfair game) was more fun for me than the 1988-1990 run of three straight World Series appearances (and a Championship in 1989). They were so good during that 2012-2014 stretch, so fun to watch.
The recent bummer has been the inability to hold onto the solid foundation Billy Beane is forced to create and then recreate. Any other ownership would have locked up Cespedes, Moss, Jaso, Donaldson, Sonny, Gregerson, Norris, etc. etc. as a core and built from there. The A’s DON’T have that luxury with the cheap and horrible Fisher and Co. ownership.
On the flip side, their consistent success from 1998 to 2014 was a gift and a curse, as they NEVER had the chance to draft in the Top 9 (save 1999, drafting 9th overall: Barry Zito). So while other small market teams are consistently bad, they stockpile blue chip talent through the drafts and eventually find some success. The A’s haven’t had that luxury for almost two decades; so they haven’t had luxury of top payroll or top draft picks, up until this most recent draft, in which they took the highly touted and talented AJ Puk with the 6th overall pick, the highest draft pick since drafting Mark Mulder 2nd overall in 1998 (they were bad in 1997, year before Beane took over).
The plus side, after some recent success and going “ALL-IN” just 2 1/2 seasons ago now, Beane has quickly rebuilt the A’s farm with a ton of promising young talent, Hopefully by the time all of this new talent comes up, the A’s will have a new ownership group to lock these players up long term and build a solid foundation, playing by the same rules as 25 + other teams in MLB.
Coco Crisp was a joy to watch in Oakland and a proud Oakland Athletic. Goodluck in Cleveland Coco! Wonder if he changes in his Oakland Warriors gear for Cleveland Cavs attire.
As an A’s fan since 1981 I agree with ryanmesick 100% now there are a lot of those who hate on Billy,but I totally blame the cheap ownership,Billy has done the best and probably better job than anybody else in his position could do,the sad part is yes we need a new stadium,but when we get it,the same issues will stay if we can’t get new ownership,but I will remain loyal to my team no matter what happens!!!
This. I am not an A’s fan, but even I respect their winning despite a cheap owner and a terrible ballpark. The A’s will be back to contending by 2018 if Billy Beane’s track record is any indication.
That is not true, what about Doolittle and Jarod Parker
Crisp will be a great bench player down the stretch for a contending team. He is a very good PH and has one of the highest batting average with runners in scoring position.
What an awesome name, Coco Crisp xD
first time hearing it? been a baseball fan long?
for the record, everytime i hear his name i think “what an awesome name” due to the fact that he has an awesome name.
Ditto.
No I know who he is, ive always loved that name, since the first time I heard it
smitty you having a rough day or what?
Oakland might’ve did this just to be absolutely sure that his option didn’t vest. He might not even get a major league contract this offseason, and if he does, I can’t see it being more than 4 million
This is a really, really good move for Cleveland.
Well, I guess this means Chewy will cut Naquin’s playing time even more.
It’s crazy. Naquins a hitter. He needs at bays.
it does not, Crisp will take Almonte’s role during playoffs.
Also, in article it mentions Crisp might take Martinez’s roster spot. Won’t happen, Martinez is only back up middle infielder and 3rd baseman on roster. Shawn Armstrong will be sent down, plus rosters expand Thursday.
Coco is not as special as your making him out to be. The A’s won’t get anyone worth mentioning back in a trade (if it’s completed)
Agreed, Coco is a nice addition to an already very good team; but this is just a move to take away the bad feelings of his not getting the auto-renewal due to lack of ABs. Coco is a good player when healthy, but he is nearing the end of a nice career, and just can’t play the outfield anymore due to a very weak arm. I wish him well with the Indians, and hopefully he gets one more chance at a WS.
hope they keep him for awhile
Certainly, if one month is considered ‘awhile’…
Good deal for the Tribe. Loved Coco the first time we had him. Be interesting to see if he gets to the 28 games to vest the option. On his off-nights it’s going to be tempting for Tito to use him as a PH for the catchers Perez&/or Gimenez if the Tribe is trailing late in the ball game.
No way they let the option best. He’s gonna make 13 million to be a below average player
True, but every game is important Crisp would be our best available bench guy if he’s not starting in LF. Also Crisp most likely will play close to everyday in LF, gives the Indians there only everyday OF. Tito still platooning Chiz w/ Almonte in RF & Naquin w/ Davis in CF.
There is no way Cleveland plays him enough to vest the option and be on the hook for that kind of money next season, no way! He’s an ok addition at this point, not the player he was but with Almonte banned from the playoffs they need another hitter. I’m sure they don’t have to send much of value back to Oakland either, addition by subtraction for the A’s books.
Cocolossal
I like Coco too, Sid… but if he and his suspect arm had been in left during the NLCS instead of Bonds, you’d have scored standing up.
For Colt Hynes?
I’d have expected a prospect, I guess.
Great pick up for Oak! Hyena is a stud!
This is the best pickup in the history of the Tribe and guarantees them a shot at the World Series. Great insight, intelligence and initiative going beyond to bring back the start of their success!
I sense a bit of sarcasm
Ho hum…..
Sale the A’s to Lacob, Guber et al, AKA Warriors ownership, enthusiastic eager ready to win group… They are interested in buying the A’s and built a new facility in or around the coliseum. C’mon…
So the A’s are paying Coco’s salary and they’re getting back a 31-year-old who has pitched a total of 20 innings in the major leagues. Doesn’t smell good to me.
I think the A’s are just trying to dump Crisp in light of his comments made against the A’s. So I’m thinking they feel he’s not a good guy for the locker room with Player commenting the contract and his frustrations to the media.
Spoken like a true Cubs fan.
Nothing to see here, folks. This is not the Coco of old. This is the Old Coco, the one that hits like a utility infielder. He’s a below average hitter, has a below average arm, and is constantly injured. Enjoy!
Exactly, people are actually excited about this
Would have made his vesting option in Oakland but won’t in Cleveland. This also hurts Rajah Davis making his minimum at- bats. Real “money saving ” trade for Cleveland. No tendering here.