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The Oakland A’s are likely go trade Brett Lawrie after the acquisition of Jed Lowrie, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
The A’s dealt for Lowrie last week in a trade with the Houston Astros. It marks the second time that the 31-year-old will be with the A’s. He played three seasons in Oakland before joining the Astros last season. He only played in 69 games with a .222 BA. Despite that, it’s expected that he would become the new starting second baseman for the A’s, which could mean the departure of Lawrie or even Danny Valencia.
Lawrie and Valencia are “drawing interest" from American League clubs, according to the report. Lawrie had a .260 BA last year in his fifth MLB season with 16 HR and 60 RBI. Throughout his career, the 25-year-old has a .263/.316/.420 batting line. He’s under team control through 2017, which makes team’s interest in the infielder even higher. He’ll only be 26 at the start of the next season. He hasn’t hit what is usually the prime of a major leaguers career.
Valencia has played for five teams in six seasons. The 31-year-old has been used both as a starter and bench-player throughout his career. He’s been solid in both roles. He hit a combined .290 between Oakland and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. He also added 18 HR with 66 RBI in only 105 games. Teams could use Valencia off their bench or maybe give him a chance to be an everyday-starter in the right situation. If not, he could be the backup to Lowrie and others for the 2016 season. He’s also under team control through 2017, which increases his value for potential traders.
The A’s are constantly making moves to rebuild the farm system years after year, which makes it no surprise that Valencia or Lawrie would possibly be gone. Lowrie agreed to a $23 million, three-year contract with the Astros that called for salaries of $8 million in 2015, $7.5 million in 2016 and $6.5 million in 2017. Despite some injuries and not being a consistent hitter, Oakland is happy to have him back.
"Jed is a very good player," A's general manager David Forst told ESPN.com. "He was very good here; he had a good year in Houston. It was a good opportunity for us."
Lowrie’s best season was in Oakland in 2013. He had a .290 BA with 15 HR and 75 RBI. His numbers decreased dramatically in 18 less games during the following season before going to Houston. He had a .249 BA with 6 HR and 50 RBI.
