On Friday evening the Milwaukee Brewers traded outfielder Khris Davis to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for two prospects. Milwaukee received catcher Jacob Nottingham and right-hander Bubba Derby in the deal.
Interestingly enough, Davis was the subject of trade rumors earlier this offseason as the Brewers and new general manager David Stearns are looking to rebuild the organization from the bottom up after their struggles in recent years.
On the other hand, the A's were mentioned in a trade rumor with the Padres earlier on Friday, as San Diego was (and probably still is) looking to move outfielder Matt Kemp. Robert Murray of Baseball Essential reported that the A's were in discussions with the Pads and even had a deal in place involving some prospects, but they were hesitant to pull the trigger.
The trade for Davis now explains why.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the Brewers and Athletics were close to a deal. She then reported the specifics of the trade moments later.
The Brewers and A's both announced the deal on Twitter shortly after.
The #Brewers have acquired two young prospects, C Jacob Nottingham and RHP Bubba Derby, from Oakland in exchange for OF Khris Davis.
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 12, 2016
The A's have acquired OF Khris Davis from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for RHP Bubby Derby and C Jacob Nottingham.
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) February 12, 2016
Davis, 28, certainly helps the A's in a multitude of ways. First off, he pretty much solidifies their outfield for 2016, as Slusser says he'll take over in left field and join Billy Burns (center) and Josh Roddick (right). Coco Crisp will reportedly DH "a lot" and "play some outfield" while Mark Canha will split time between the outfield and first base.
Davis was limited in 2015 due to injuries, but in three MLB seasons (321 games) the slugger is hitting .250/.315/.494 with 151 runs scored, 60 home runs and 162 RBI. He also a fitting acquisition for Oakland because he'll earn the league minimum in 2016 and won't hit free agency until after the 2019 season.
The A's designated pitcher Sean Nolin for assignment to make room for Davis on their 40-man roster. Nolin was one of the players that came over from the Toronto Blue Jays in last year's Josh Donaldson trade.
As for the Brewers, they bolstered their farm system with Nottingham and Derby.
Stearns is familiar with Nottingham from their days with the Houston Astros. Stearns was the team's assistant GM and was responsible for drafting Nottingham in 2013. He was eventually traded to the A's in the deal that brought starter Scott Kazmir to the Astros at the non-waiver deadline last July.
Nottingham, 20, is listed as a catcher, first baseman and DH. The former sixth-round pick owns a .284/.352/.452 stat line with 121 runs scored, 23 home runs and 130 RBI in 211 career minor league games.
Derby, 21, was also a former sixth-round pick, but he was taken in the 2015 MLB Draft - two years after Nottingham. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.21 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 14 games (10 starts), totaling 37-1/3 innings, all of which he accumulated this past season.
The deal seems to help both sides, but only time will tell as Nottingham and Derby are fairly far away from making their MLB debuts.
