Early Sunday morning it was reported by both FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Athletics were close to a deal that would bring slugger Adam Dunn to the Oakland Athletics from the Chicago White Sox.
Source: #Athletics front-runner for Dunn - and he will waive no-trade clause to accept deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 31, 2014
Now that deal appears to have been completed. The A’s have acquired Dunn and cash considerations for minor league right-handed pitcher Nolan Sanburn according to the A’s official Twitter account.
#Athletics acquire Adam Dunn and cash considerations from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Nolan Sanburn.
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 31, 2014
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers were also rumored to have interest in Dunn. At the end it was Dunn’s choice to make between the Dodgers and the Athletics.
Dunn was likely more inclined to take a deal with Oakland because he would have a wider role as the teams designated hitter. He can also play at first base and in the outfield but his role would be much more limited in the National League.
Dunn, who turns 35 in November, is batting just .200 but he has hit 20 homers and driven in 54 runs. Offensive production is what the A’s need right now.
They have all the pitching in the world since acquiring Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel and Jon Lester via trade this season to join Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir in their starting rotation. The A’s bullpen is strong too, even with All-Star closer Sean Doolittle currently on the disabled list.
They have lost their last three games to their division rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and are now four games out of first place in the American League West. They have wasted some stellar pitching performances during their recent slide by not being able to generate even the slightest bit of run support.
Dunn can hopefully provide some much needed power for the Athletics. His presence in the lineup alone could be enough to spark the A’s sleeping offense and bring players like Brandon Moss out of their current slumps.Moss who has 23 home runs on the year has not hit a ball out of the yard since late July.
This is Dunn’s 14th MLB season. The two-time All-Star has a career batting average of .237 but he has 460 home runs. He hit 34 homers last season and the A’s are banking on the fact that he will hit those 14 more in September.
Nolan Sanburn was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the A’s organization for 2014 by Baseball America. Sanburn,23, was 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 71.1 innings for Single-A Stockton this season. He was drafted by Oakland in the second round in 2012.