The Oakland A’s have been searching for a shortstop to replace Marcus Semien and they finally got someone today. The A’s made a deal with another AL West team, the Texas Rangers to bring Elvis Andrus to Oakland.
Elvis has been one of the most consistent shortstops in the AL West, but last year he surprisingly had the worst season of his career. Andrus has some big shoes to fill in Oakland since Semien has been one of the better bats in the lineup.
Details of the Oakland A’s – Texas Rangers Trade
On top of Andrus, the Athletics also received Aramis Garcia and $13.5M to help offset some of Andrus’ contract ($14M per year). The Rangers received slugger Khris Davis ($16.75M per year), Jonah Heim, and Dane Acker.
The importance of the trade
As I said earlier, Andrus struggled in 2020, but he has a career .274/.330/.372 slash line. Andrus is only 32-years-old and I think 2020 was a fluke. Oakland fans should be ecstatic about their new shortstop and would be a great top of the lineup hitter.
This trade comes at a crucial time because the AL West isn’t the same as it always has been. Even the Athletics don’t have the same firepower as they did in 2020. They don’t have Liam Hendriks, Joakim Soria, and obviously Marcus Semien.
And around the division, the Astros lost one of their best players in George Springer. The Angels have made some moves but not nearly enough to make me comfortably say they will win the division.
Of course, the Athletics lose Khris Davis but he hasn’t been that good as of late either. In 2018, he hit 48 home runs to lead the league, but in 2019, he only hit 23 home runs while batting .220.
And last year, he only played in 30 games and hit 2 home runs while hitting .200. In the end, trading away Davis isn’t as big of a loss as some may think.
As a Mariners fan, I have always respected Elvis Andrus and he is a great addition for the Oakland A’s, who are looking to make the playoffs once again.