A few days ago it was reported that the Padres were exploring a deal involving Kyle Blanks. Now it is reality. The Oakland Athletics have acquired San Diego Padres outfielder Kyle Blanks in exchange for outfielder Jake Goebbert and a player to be named later, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
Kyle Blanks was recently demoted to Triple-A El Paso, which seemed like a paper move, in order to make room for recently-activated outfielder Carlos Quentin. In only ten at-bats in the majors this season, Blanks had two hits, both singles, and three strikeouts, as well as a run scored. In Triple-A El Paso this season, Blanks hit .265/.364/.651 with nine home runs and twenty runs batted in.
Blanks will immediately join the Athletics big league team, where he will platoon with left-handed hitter Daric Barton at first base*. In his major league career, Blanks is a .228/.310/.401 hitter in 239 career games, with 28 home runs and 98 runs batted in. In his minor league career, he has shown exceptional power and slight upside.
* Update: Barton has been DFA’d by Oakland to create room on the roster for Blanks,
The other known player involved in the trade, Jake Goebbert, is a better fit in the corner outfield positions. He was originally acquired from the Astros in a trade for former Athletics pitcher Travis Blackley. At Triple-A Sacramento for the Athletics, Goebbert played in 31 games, where he hit .257 with six home runs and 25 runs batted in. He is expected to join the Padres’ Triple-A team in El Paso.