The Oakland Athletics have traded away Franklin Barreto, putting an end to a relationship that has been sour from the get-go.
Franklin Barreto was a perfect fit for the upstart Oakland Athletics. A combination of limited playing time and playing poorly during that time has finally put an end to the Barreto tenure in Oaktown.
The A’s announced they have traded the once heralded infielder to the Los Angeles Angels for Tommy La Stella.
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This news is more about the A’s giving up on the youngster Barreto, than them acquiring a veteran piece for a playoff run.
The former top prospect was never really given a chance to succeed at the big league level. For his time in the organization, he’ll forever be known as a Triple-A player. Being out of options, and unable to be demoted without risk of being lost through waivers, Barreto had to go to make room for the upgrade at second base.
Over parts of four seasons, Barreto hit just .180 with an OPS of .570. Horrific numbers from someone who was envisioned to be an everyday player for the A’s. Only, he wasn’t given the opportunity to be an everyday player.
Barreto was shuttled back and forth from Triple-A to the majors his first three years, with 2018 being the year he saw the most action with 32 games. This year he had just ten at-bats, in which he was hitless and struck out seven times.
He is free to go to Los Angeles where he hopes to get regular playing time and develop into the player the A’s hoped he would.
LaStella is a rental player, a free agent after the season, and someone the A’s usually wouldn’t give up four controllable years for. Barreto won’t be a free agent until 2025.
I wouldn’t say 211 at-bats over four years is giving a top prospect a fair shake, but the A’s will disagree. They felt it was time to pull the plug on Barreto and bring in a veteran with a better track record.