With the team not quite hitting expectations in 2016, the Oakland Athletics dealt outfielder Josh Reddick and pitcher Rich Hill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Frankie Montas, Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton on Monday, the Dodgers announced:
Joel Sherman of the New York Post commented on the deal:
The postseason isn't a mathematical impossibility for Oakland, but the playoff door has all but closed on the A's. They're 47-58 on the year, 14.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West and 11 games out of a wild-card spot heading into Monday's slate of games.
As a result, Reddick was a natural candidate to move ahead of the trade deadline. The 29-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in 2017, per Spotrac, and the Athletics haven't hesitated in the past to deal veteran stars they weren't confident of re-signing in the offseason.
He also has a fair amount of value. In 243 at-bats, he's hitting .296 with eight home runs, 28 runs batted in and a .449 slugging percentage.
Buster Olney of ESPN noted the deal might mean the end of Yasiel Puig's time in Los Angeles:
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports expounded on that point:
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reported on July 9 the A's and Reddick had discussions on a new contract but couldn't come to an agreement. Reddick wanted a four-year deal worth $56 million, while Oakland offered him $36 million over three years.
While the left-handed slugger has become a fan favorite in the Bay Area and has been productive at the plate, it's easy to see why the Athletics would balk at giving him a four-year contract.
He'll turn 30 in February, and durability has been a major issue over the last four years. Between 2013 and 2014, Reddick missed a combined 101 games as a result of a sprained wrist and a knee injury. Then in May, he fractured his thumb on a slide into second base:
And for all of Reddick's progress as a hitter, he remains a massive liability against left-handed pitching. His performance against lefties in 2016 (.172 average) is even below his career average (.222), per Baseball-Reference.com.
Hill, 36, is 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He's emerged as a surprise borderline All-Star after compiling a total of four starts between 2010 and 2015. While few have ever questioned his talent, Hill has been a regular on the disabled list and seemed to be at a loss when it came to staying on the field over the last half decade.
Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe highlighted how far he's come:
Oakland also needs to restock its farm system after selling off much of its best minor league stars to build a contending team from 2012 to 2014. Baseball Prospectus ranked the A's organization 17th to start the 2016 season.
Holmes and Montas are the two prizes of the deal. Holmes was the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2014, and at age 20, he has shown real promise as a power pitcher. Montas, 23, is much closer to making a big league impact, having made his MLB debut last September before returning to the minors for 2016. He's gone through an injury-plagued campaign but was still one of the best prospects in L.A.'s system.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was impressed by the A's haul:
Ted Berg of For the Win weighed in:
Based on his injury history, trading for Reddick is a slight gamble for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is also running the risk of parting with valuable assets now and then watching Reddick sign with somebody else in the offseason.
All things considered, though, the Dodgers couldn't have realistically found a much better way to improve their offense ahead of the deadline. Reddick is a good hitter when healthy, and players of his caliber are available in short supply at this time of the year.
A deep run in the postseason will more than justify the cost for Los Angeles, even if Reddick proves to be a half-season rental.
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