*Photo from the Dallas Morning News*
One of the most surprising things about this trade between division rivals, the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics, is that it basically came out of nowhere. There had been no prior indication of trade talks or signs that any of the players involved in this deal wanted out. Yet, he we are. The Rangers have traded SS Elvis Andrus, C Aramis Garcia, and cash considerations to the Athletics in exchange for DH Khris Davis, RHP Dane Acker, and C Jonah Heim, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
Andrus has spent his entire 12 year career with the Rangers. In the short 2020 season, he posted an average of .194 with a .582 OPS, hitting 3 homers and driving in just 7 runs in 29 games played, just under half the regular season. In his 12 seasons, Andrus has a .274 average with a .702 OPS, hitting 76 homers and driving in 636 runs in 1,652 games with the Rangers. Andrus was the last remaining member of the 2011 Rangers team that made it to the world series, losing in 7 games to the St.Louis Cardinals.
Andrus said of the trade that "When I found out the opportunity to play for Oakland opened up, it made sense for my career and where I’m at right now. I'm blessed to join the Oakland A’s. We’ve got an amazing team and a great group. I can’t wait to join the team and help any way I can to get back in the postseason and go deep."
Andrus also said of his new team that "I’ve really admired this team, especially the past two years. It's really hard to have such young players be that mature. Guys like Chapman, Olson, Luzardo, there are so many on this team that I really admire. I got to the league really young, too. When you find that type of talent, it’s really cool to be a part of that."
Rangers chairman and managing partner Ray Davis said in a statement that "On behalf of the Texas Rangers, I want to thank Elvis Andrus for the tremendous impact he has made on our organization over the last 12 years. His play on the field, his connection to our fans and his work in the community have played an integral part in shaping our franchise. He will forever be a member of the Texas Rangers family. We wish him the very best."
Davis, who had shown he could be one of baseball's top power hitters in 2018, struggled immensely in 2020, posting a .200 average with a .632 OPS, hitting just two homers and driving in 10 runs in 30 games played, mostly at DH. In his 8 big league seasons, Davis has a .243 average with an .810 OPS, hitting 218 homers and driving in 580 runs in 938 games played.
Athletics GM David Forst said of parting ways with Davis that "It wasn’t an easy call to make. What Khris has brought to the organization and the city over the last five years is hard to put into words. He got here when we were on a down cycle and gave us all something to look forward to. He kind of was the leader of this group that has gone to the playoffs the last three years. But this was about filling a hole at shortstop and we did it with an All-Star caliber player."
Forst also said that "I can’t say the cash wasn’t an important part of the deal. We'd like to move quickly and make some additions to this team. This is still a team that has a chance to win the division again. I’m hopeful that we can move quickly to use some of that payroll flexibility that was achieved."
Andrus joins an Oakland team filled with young stars, such as Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Jesus Luzardo, Sean Manaea, and AJ Puk, effectively filling the hole left by Marcus Semien at shortstop. Davis joins a Rangers team headlined by slugger Joey Gallo and not much else, as the Rangers are in the middle of a rebuild.
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