The Milwaukee Brewers announced Friday that they traded outfielder Khris Davis to the Oakland Athletics for catcher Jacob Nottingham and pitcher Bubba Derby, both of whom are prospects.
In 121 games last season, Davis hit a career-best 27 home runs while batting .247.
Per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Athletics will have four years’ control of Davis, who is eligible for arbitration after the 2016 season, according to Spotrac.
The Athletics were in need of power in their lineup after they traded away Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2015 season. Donaldson hit 41 home runs in his first year with the Blue Jays on his way to an MVP season, while the Athletics had one player hit the 20-home run mark.
Davis is the right player to help them in that department, as he’s hit 49 home runs in the past two years. His ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field will be useful while hitting in the O.co Coliseum, which has left and right power alleys of 388 feet.
He will bring a dangerous threat to the Athletics lineup, one the team was lacking in 2015 as it finished last in the American League West with a 68-94 record.
Davis has high expectations upon his arrival in Oakland, per the Bay Area News Group’s John Hickey:
In return, the Brewers got a pair of promising prospects in Derby and Nottingham. Per Scout.com’s Max Wildstein, the Athletics drafted Derby, while they acquired Nottingham when they traded pitcher Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros.
In his first year in the minor leagues, which included three stops at different levels of A-ball, Nottingham batted .284 with 23 home runs and 130 RBI. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal described the 6’3″, 250-pound slugger as “an absolute brute” with “huge power potential.”
The 20-year-old catcher will be a vital piece for the Brewers in the future, per Haudricourt:
Nottingham will report to Double-A this season to develop, according to Haudricourt.
Derby, 21, has limited minor league experience playing in the New York-Penn and Arizona League. In 37.1 total innings, he is 1-1 with a 1.21 ERA.
Haudricourt reported that Derby has a “four-pitch repertoire,” which he will work on in advanced A-ball.
Dealing a power bat in the middle of the lineup was a difficult thing to do for Brewers general manager David Sterns, per Haudricourt:
With this transaction, the Brewers are looking toward the future as the the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates look as though they will dominate the National League Central in the short term.
For a team that isn’t likely to challenge for the division title, Milwaukee was able to get some nice prospects in return.
MLB stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
Minor League stats courtesy of MiLB.com.
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