Hours after their 1-0 win against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Oakland A’s wasted no time making fireworks of their own on the 4th of July. The Athletics, who currently sit atop of the AL West by just four games, felt as if there was room for improvement, especially if they were to secure another division title. Already possessing one of the better rotations in baseball, general manager Billy Beane wasted no time in solidifying it, as he acquired the likes of Jeff Samardzija, and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs. It was a steep price indeed for the A’s to pay, as they gave up star-studded prospect Addison Russell, No. 2 prospect Billy McKinney and starting pitcher Dan Straily. However, having seen their last two postseason appearances fall short, the A’s felt as if this was the year they had to go all in.
Samardzija, 29, has been highly-coveted by many teams, after rumored to have rejected a fve-year, $85million contract extension from the Chicago Cubs earlier this year. He’s 2-7, with a 2.83 era in 17 starts this season, and has been one of the better pitchers in baseball. Adding him to an already established A’s rotation, would only further their chances at winning a World Series. Samardzija won’t be a free agent until after the 2015, giving him another year of club control until he hits the open market.
In Hammel, 31, the A’s get a guy who can round out the remainder of their rotation. Aside from guys like Sonny Gray, and Scott Kazmir, the A’s haven’t been able to find sheer consistency in the bottom half of their rotation (due to injuries, of course), and Hammel would surely be able to add some much-needed stability. He’s 8-5, with a 2.98 ERA and is enjoying the best year of his career so far.
The Chicago Cubs, on the other hand, received quite the haul in return for both Samardjiza and Hammel. The duo happened to be enticing enough for the A’s to give up Addison Russell, and Billy Mckinney, which will only bode well for the Cubs in the coming years.
Theo Epstein has done an excellent job so far acquiring high-quality prospects, given his ability to deal a couple of disgruntled starting pitchers. According to ESPN, Addison Russel ranks third on MLB’s top-100 prospect list, and would’ve surely been the starting shortstop for the A’s in the coming years had he not been dealt.
The addition of Russell surely gives the Cubs a surplus of young and talented shortstops, which will be interesting to see how management handles the likes of it. Billy Mckinney was a first-round pick for the A’s last year, and is currently hitting .241, with 10 home runs, and 33 rbi’s for Class-A Stockton this season. Dan Straily pitched a full season for the A’s last season, and was 10-8, with a 3.96 era in 27 starts.
This is a deal that benefits both sides nicely, and a rather unorthodox one for the A’s, who have been reluctant to parting ways with talent within their farm system, in hopes of upsizing their roster for a World Series run. This now gives them a rotation that’s likely the best in the American League, and arguably all of baseball as well. It’s awfully difficult not to envision the Oakland A’s as front-runners to represent the American League in the World Series, given the way their team is performing.
As for the Chicago Cubs, they’ll continue to take a patient approach, as they’ll work to develop their young talent in their farm-system, in hopes of having a great deal of success in the near future. I’d be awfully intrigued from a Cubs fan’s perspective, as the team itself has some promising talent, which could also be used to acquire major-league ready talent as well (as noted before, having a surplus of young SS’s). Theo Epstein and co. will continue to take a patient approach, in order to mold this franchise into a possible contender in the coming years.