A's send Zobrist to AL-leading Royals in 3-player trade
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Just days after landing Johnny Cueto from Cincinnati, the Kansas City Royals added another former All-Star to their roster, acquiring veteran Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday.
In exchange for Zobrist, a two-time All-Star, the Royals sent left-handed pitching prospect Sean Manaea and 25-year-old right-hander Aaron Brooks to Oakland.
An impending free agent, Zobrist drew interest from multiple clubs ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, but it was the reigning American League champions that managed to swing a deal for the versatile 34-year-old who managed an .801 OPS through 67 games with Oakland this season. Royals general manager Dayton Moore confirmed after the deal was finalized that Zobrist will start as an outfielder, likely taking over in left field while Alex Gordon remains sidelined with a Grade 2 groin strain.
Over parts of 10 seasons in the majors, all of them with the Tampa Bay Rays before being traded to the Athletics this winter, Zobrist has compiled a .264/.254/.430 line (117 OPS+) with 120 homers, 103 stolen bases, and a 12.1 percent walk rate in 1,131 career games.
The Athletics, meanwhile, began dismantling their roster last week when general manager Billy Beane shipped Scott Kazmir to Houston in exchange for minor-leaguers Daniel Mengden and Jacob Nottingham. On Monday, the club traded reliever Tyler Clippard to the New York Mets for right-hander Casey Meisner, another prospect.
Selected 34th overall in the 2013 draft, Manaea entered the season as the Royals' third-best prospect, according to both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, and made his debut with Double-A Northwest Arkansas earlier this month after a brief stint in the High-A Carolina League. Though injuries have limited the 6-foot-5 lefty to just 153 1/3 innings over the last two seasons, Manaea owns a 3.23 ERA while averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings as a professional.
Brooks, meanwhile, pitched sporadically for Kansas City over the last two summers, making two appearances – including one start – in 2014 before enjoying two relief appearances for the Royals this season. A former ninth-round pick, Brooks has pitched primarily for Triple-A Omaha since the beginning of 2014. This season, Brooks owns a 3.71 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP over 17 starts and one relief outing in the Pacific Coast League.