Rays trade Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar to Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have acquired second baseman Ben Zobrist and shortstop Yunel Escobar from the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays meanwhile received John Jaso and prospects Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell in return Saturday.
It's tough to say at this point exactly where the versatile Zobrist will fit into the Athletics lineup, but as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes, Oakland now has several options.
#Athletics can use Semien everywhere, Zobrist at second base and in OF, Escobar at SS. Will be diverse, versatile lineup.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 10, 2015
Here's one way Oakland could assemble its lineup following the trade:
| # | POS | PLAYER | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CF | Coco Crisp (S) | .246/.336/.363 |
| 2 | 2B | Ben Zobrist (S) | .272/.354/.395 |
| 3 | RF | Josh Reddick (L) | .264/.316/.446 |
| 4 | DH | Billy Butler | .271/.323/.379 |
| 5 | 1B | Ike Davis (L) | .233/344/.378 |
| 6 | 3B | Brett Lawrie | .247/.301/.421 |
| 7 | C | Stephen Vogt (L) | .279/.321/.431 |
| 8 | SS | Yunel Escobar | .258/.324/.340 |
| 9 | LF | Sam Fuld (L) | .239/.321/.342 |
Zobrist, 33, hit .272 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs in 146 games and will be a free agent next summer. He is slated to make $7.5 million in 2015.
Escobar, 32, hit .258 with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 137 contests and won't be a free agent until 2017 at the earliest. He will make $5 million in 2015 before getting a raise to $7 million the next season. The Cuban also has a $7-million team option built into his contract for 2017 with a $1-million buyout.
The #Athletics also are picking up the entire salaries for Zobrist and Escobar.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 10, 2015
Jaso should receive plenty of at-bats with the Rays, but Tampa Bay could also fill out its lineup with the following nine:
| # | POS | PLAYER | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CF | Desmond Jennings | .244/.319/.378 |
| 2 | LF | David DeJesus (L) | .248/.344/.403 |
| 3 | 3B | Evan Longoria | .253/.320/.404 |
| 4 | 1B | James Loney (L) | .290/.336/.380 |
| 5 | DH | Steven Souza | .130/.231/.391 |
| 6 | RF | Kevin Kiermaier (L) | .263/.315/.450 |
| 7 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera (S) | .241/.308/.387 |
| 8 | C | Rene Rivera | .252/.319/.432 |
| 9 | 2B | Nick Franklin (S) | .160/.222/.247 |
The acquisition of Zobrist and Escobar comes at a steep price for A's general manager Billy Beane.
Jaso - a catcher who was originally drafted in the 12th round in 2003 by the Rays - hit .264 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 99 games behind the plate. He also broke into the league with Tampa in 2008, spending three seasons with the Rays before being traded to the Seattle Mariners.
Robertson, the team's No. 1 prospect according to MLB.com, projects to be a fine big-league hitter. The shortstop was taken in the first round of the 2012 draft, and slashed .310/.402/.471 for the Stockton Ports of the California League.
Powell, a left-handed hitting outfielder and teammate of Robertson at Stockton, was a 20th-round selection in the 2012 draft. He was recently suspended for 50 minor league games after testing positive for an amphetamine. Powell is the 11th-ranked prospect in Oakland's farm system.
The A's also designated infielder Andy Parrino for assignment and reportedly sent $1.5 million to the Rays as part of the deal, according to Rosenthal.