The Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs wasted no time in getting the MLB‘s trade season underway.
The two clubs have agreed to terms on a blockbuster deal that will see the Athletics rotation get a major boost. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the deal:
Keith Law of ESPN provided more information on who the Cubs have acquired as part of the deal:
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports shed some light on the timeline of the trade:
The deal is seen as an immediate game changer for the Athletics. Personalities such as Rich Eisen were quick to heap praise on Athletics general manager Billy Beane:
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports speculated on what events may have led to the Athletics making the move:
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports proclaimed the Athletics as AL favorites in light of the new additions:
For the Cubs—who are obviously looking to improve their team beyond 2014—the prized prospect received in the deal will be Addison Russell. JJ Cooper of ESPN provides some insight into just how important he was to getting the deal done:
Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus breaks down just how loaded the Cubs’ farm system is with the addition of Russell:
However, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune wonders what Chicago will do with their sudden logjam at the shortstop position:
Not everyone was sold on the move for the Cubs, though. Rob Neyer brought up some reservations about the Cubs pitching staff going forward:
The sacrifice is obviously worth it for the A’s in the short term. While they were forced to give up Russell, Samardzija has been lights-out this year. Despite his 2-7 record, his 2.83 ERA says he will have a much better record in Oakland.
His ability to produce ground balls won’t hurt either, as noted by Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Info:
In fact, the addition of Hammel and Samardzija gives the A’s arguably the deepest starting rotation of anyone, as ESPN Stats & Info can attest:
In the end, Jim Bowden of ESPN sees this trade working out well for both teams:
With the MLB All-Star Game just around the corner, it’s going to be hard for teams to top this deal in terms of 2014 World Series implications. The A’s have become serious contenders while the Cubs have made a strong investment for the future.
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