Khris Davis to the A's for C Jacob Nottingham and RHP Bubba Derby; Latest: Sean Nolin claimed from A's, too

[homer]

Hardy actually displayed 30+ HR power every time he was healthy, that power spike wasn't just a fluke His seasons were derailed by chronic injuries including the one you mentioned. It won't surprise me if Davis hits 30+ this year, his power is for real. I don't mind this deal but it certainly could blow up on us if Davis starts hot. He could have been worth a lot more by the all star break. Of course he could also start cold and lose value. He is a tricky player to evaluate since he has been so streaky.

 

He's missed a decent number of games due to injury too...including the minors. So it's no guarantee he even plays a full first half. He's one of those guys that if you were to trade him you get a deal you like and pull the trigger. No regrets.

[brewerfan82]

When you are exclusively acquiring players who are in rookie or low A, you aren't focused on 16, 17, or even 18 at the MLB level.

 

You say that, but Stearns has also acquired Villar, Carter, Anderson, Hill, Walsh, Jones, Flores, Liriano, Broxton, Nieuwenhuis, Cecchini, Middlebrooks... I understand your agenda to prove this is a "tank" season, but why is he taking guys that have potential for the big league club then as well. I agree the focus is not on winning this year and having a good pick/draft money isn't a frowned upon side effect of that, but I really don't think there's been a concerted effort to make the team lose either. We'll likely have most of Braun, Santana, Davies, Peralta, Nelson, Jeffress, etc, all year and Phillips/Arcia knocking on the door. There are several legit players still on this team and the gaps are being filled with players still young enough to show their potential. They're young and may not be world beaters, but I think you're going to be disappointed when they don't get that #1 pick. This is miles ahead of the Brewers of the late 90's/early 2000's still.

[pacopete4]

When you are exclusively acquiring players who are in rookie or low A, you aren't focused on 16, 17, or even 18 at the MLB level.

 

Traded INF Luis Sardinas to Seattle for OF Ramon Flores(23).

Claimed OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis(28) off waivers from the N.Y. Mets and 1B Andy Wilkins(27) from Texas.

Claimed C Josmil Pinto(26) off waivers from San Diego.

Agreed to terms with 3B Will Middlebrooks(27) on a minor league contract.

Agreed to terms with 1B Chris Carter(29) on a one-year contract.

Traded SS Jean Segura and RHP Tyler Wagner to Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Chase Anderson(28), 3B Aaron Hill(33), SS Isan Diaz and cash.

Traded LF Rymer Liriano(24) to Milwaukee Brewers for LHP Trevor Seidenberger.

Signed free agent LF Eric Young Jr.(30) to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Traded 1B Jason Rogers to Pittsburgh Pirates for CF Keon Broxton(25) and RHP Trey Supak.

Claimed RHP Zack Jones(25) off waivers from Minnesota Twins.

Traded C Manny Pina(28) to Milwaukee Brewers. Completes the November 18 trade.

Claimed 2B Colin Walsh(26) off waivers from Oakland Athletics.

Traded 3B Garin Cecchini(24) to Milwaukee Brewers for cash.

Traded SS Jonathan Villar(24) to Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Cy Sneed.

 

 

Either you do not know what exclusively means or your head has been in the sand. While there has been a lot of action towards the young prospects, Stearns has also done a nice job using resources to get some fresh players, some who still hold somewhat of a high upside, into Milwaukee building our depth.

 

Some people want to pretend like the Brewers roster was winning games last year. There is a reason some of these guys are expendable and Davis is one of those players.

[Bombers]

I feel like a poster proposed Nottingham in a deal.

Count me as happy to see Davis removed. Having acquired Liriano+OFs made him excess weight to be removed. Santana will still have to play well to earn his Starts. The Brewers get their catching prospect vs drafting which I'm in favor of waiting on and avoiding.

 

When is the last season Oak didn't trade a Catcher?

I found these two mentions in the trade rumors for Lucroy

viewtopic.php?p=955971#p955971

 

viewtopic.php?p=970476#p970476

 

All in all, I think this is another great trade. Great job Stearns!

[MKE81]

Domingo Santana an immediate upgrade? Because of what 200 at-bats that weren't even that crazy good? The same guy that just got done hitting .188 in offseason ball? The same guy with 5 errors playing this offseason for a .700 something fielding %?

 

Let's calm down for a second and realize Santana is mostly unproven. His defense is extremely overrated and I honestly don't think he would be all that great in RF seeing he wasn't great there last year for us and seems like he was totally lost this offseason too.

 

I am high on Santana like most of you, but he is no sure thing. Building off of that I think the Brewers should play him in LF. Yes he is a better RFer than Braun, but I think his long term future with us is in LF. Eventually Braun will be traded(imo) and we have better long term RF options than Santana.

 

Yes, I was looking at his .188 and 5 errors winter league numbers and bypassing his 296/384/858, 27 doubles, 16HR, 81rbi in AAA at age 21 (2014) and 333/426/999, 23 doubles, 18HR, 77rbi in AAA at age 22 (2015). He was very streaky at the MLB level last year but he was also 22yrs old posting a higher OBP than Davis has the previous 900ABs at that level and with his SLG being a little below Davis' 2014 numbers but with an OPS slightly higher. I'm not saying he's a gold glover - but there's no denying he's an upgrade defensively over Davis whether or not you believe he's overrated on that side of the ball. He will get 500ABs this year as a 23yr old to show what his potential can be. I don't care if Davis has more power than Santana - he's an immediate upgrade on the defensive side and should be on par, at worse, on the offensive side. By that I mean he most likely won't hit as many HRs as Davis but it's not unreasonable to think he can post a 260/350/800 line with 25 doubles, 20HR+, 75rbi+ while striking out more than Davis but also walking more as well. That makes him an immediate upgrade at the age of 23. I do agree he should play LF.

[pacopete4]

Hard to compare numbers because at 21/22 Davis was playing A ball in Wisconsin while Domingo is hitting major league pitching. Yes, he strikes out too often. But that can come as he ages as well. It is foolish to not give a guy like him ample playing time to find the strike zone and live in it.

[MKE81]

Some of you are making this out to be the equivalent of trading Overbay to make room for Fielder. Make no mistake Domingo Santana is no Prince Fielder, and Khris Davis possesses a unique skill (power) that sets him well above the level of Overbay. Davis has one HR every 17.2 major league ABs. That's better than Prince Fielder (17.7) and Ryan Braun (18.6).

 

The odds of guys with more AAA strikeouts than hits becoming productive major league regulars are quite steep and the Brewers could have gotten more for Davis after this year.

 

I suppose it's a plus that we'll know about Santana, but I fear he'll be exposed and they'll still be looking for corner OF help.

 

Who is comparing Santana to Fielder? Some of you (ie you) only speak of Davis' power and neglect all the other tools. He's average at tracking balls, has the worst arm in MLB allowing runners to go first to third on routine balls at him, hasn't shown a knack for getting on base the past 2yrs while also hitting mid-240s (989 PAs/893 ABs) while increasing his K rate (also increased walk rate as well). And he's 28yrs old - much older than all other options currently in organization. So while he does possess a plus plus tool (power) he possesses below average-average other tools.

 

I also find it odd that people have no problem seriously questioning Santana's skill set, a guy who's killed AAA pitching at 21 and 22yrs old, but have no problem treating Arcia and Phillips in the complete opposite manner when neither has a single PA above AA. Doesn't seem very logical.

 

And Davis has 21 more Ks than hits at the MLB level and over his entire professional career has 40 more hits than Ks. But you seem to find him very productive.

[SRB]

Santana in 90 plate appearances in Dominican Winter ball: .181/.244/.217. Zero HR. In his brief major league career, he strikes out at an alarming rate. So does Chris Carter. Between them they could well combine to set a record for most strikeouts by a duo in major league history. Boy that will be fun. Somewhere Jose K is smiling. Yeah Santana put up nice AAA numbers but they came with a flashing warning light too. More strikeouts (257) than hits (249).

 

There are questions surrounding Santana. That's all I'm saying. Davis was still cheap and controllable and a proven premier power bat. The catcher they got for Davis might end up being a great return but I'm not doing handstands because Santana has a position. Sorry. Unless Santana proves he's a major league corner OF, and the bar is pretty high for such an offensive position, the fact is this trade not only weakens them in 2016 but 2017 and 2018 as well and one of their most marketable and tradeable players is gone for a return that's 3 years from major leagues. I could be wrong, but that's my opinion. I'm also concerned Stearns so highly values Astros products. Is that the only team he knows anything about?

 

Domingo Santana, 2015 (22 years old): .238/.337/.431/.768, .336 wOBA

Khris Davis, career: .250/.315/.494/.809, .349 wOBA

 

Domingo Santana, 2015 (22 years old): 33.7 K%

Khris Davis, 2015 (27 years old): 27.7 K%

[And That]

As far as comparing Santana vs. Davis in the coming years, if they have equivalent playing time Davis is going to have a hard time hitting more home runs if only because his new home park is one of the tougher places to hit home runs:

 

[pre]Park Factors for Home Runs

 

MIL OAK

2015 1.432 (1st) 0.777 (27th)

2014 1.142 (9th) 0.903 (21st)

2013 1.259 (5th) 0.818 (25th)

2012 1.631 (1st) 0.859 (23rd)

2011 1.062 (11th) 0.786 (26th)

2010 1.233 (6th) 0.701 (28th)[/pre]

And so on and so forth.

[adambr2]

Some of you are making this out to be the equivalent of trading Overbay to make room for Fielder. Make no mistake Domingo Santana is no Prince Fielder, and Khris Davis possesses a unique skill (power) that sets him well above the level of Overbay. Davis has one HR every 17.2 major league ABs. That's better than Prince Fielder (17.7) and Ryan Braun (18.6).

 

The odds of guys with more AAA strikeouts than hits becoming productive major league regulars are quite steep and the Brewers could have gotten more for Davis after this year.

 

I suppose it's a plus that we'll know about Santana, but I fear he'll be exposed and they'll still be looking for corner OF help.

 

Well first, I think you're selling Santana short. No, he's no Prince, but he was the 71st best prospect in baseball at this time last year. In the mode we're in, he absolutely needs to get full time ABs st the MLB level so we can see what he has. He might struggle, but again, he's 23. What he has proven at the MLB level so far is irrelevant. He will get plenty of opportunities to prove now which he should.

 

I also think you're overselling Davis , who is also no Prince Fielder. He has one asset; a very good one, but his flaws are many. It's telling that a guy with as much power aa he has with an OPS north of .800 is barely a 1 WAR player.

 

I also don't think he would have been worth more after this year, entering arbitration, barring a big breakout year which I think is unlikely given his skillset.

[patrickgpe]

I understand why the brewers made this trade, but it doesn't make much sense for the athletics. I understand you get a youngish controllable power hitter, but you are nowhere near competing for the AL west crown and you gave up one of the better catching prospects in the game, which there aren't many at all.

[MrTPlush]

Hard to compare numbers because at 21/22 Davis was playing A ball in Wisconsin while Domingo is hitting major league pitching. Yes, he strikes out too often. But that can come as he ages as well. It is foolish to not give a guy like him ample playing time to find the strike zone and live in it.

 

I really don't like this comparison when it is made. Santana also had the luxury of getting into minor league ball when he was 16 years old while Davis didn't till he was 21. These international guys just develop sooner age wise because of that advantage. It doesn't mean anything past that.

[SoCalBrewfan]

I think this is a good baseball trade; we had a surplus of corner OF, and Davis was the most logical one to deal...he has positive trade value, but is limited defensively and a better fit for an AL team. Now we can give Santana major league development time, find PAs for Liriano and Flores, and have a stronger defensive outfield. I don't feel like I'm in a good position to judge the return, but I was honestly hoping for something more. Still, Nottingham looks like a really solid bat who might well fill a position of need. I like how he drew walks in the minors, even when he was struggling in rookie ball. Seems like he could well be a Napoli type, who hits enough to have value at another position even if he's not the greatest defensive catcher. I wouldn't be surprised to see the NL with a DH before he's in the majors, so there may be more of a home in Milwaukee for bats with limited defensive value than is presently the case. I don't know a thing about Bubba Derby, but, well, I can't help but like the name and the K rate.

 

I am still more than a bit sad to see Khris Davis go. It's perhaps in part irrational attachment to a kid who went to Cal State Fullerton (I have my own attachment to CSUF)...but it's also that I feel like he's always been underrated by prospect watchers and fans alike. This past year he struggled early and had injury problems, essentially losing his job to Parra, but he came roaring back in the second half and ended up having a really good season. I wish him well, and would love to see him hit 30 HR for the next four years even if it means we are perceived as 'losing' the trade.

[3and2Fastball]

Some of you are making this out to be the equivalent of trading Overbay to make room for Fielder. Make no mistake Domingo Santana is no Prince Fielder, and Khris Davis possesses a unique skill (power) that sets him well above the level of Overbay. Davis has one HR every 17.2 major league ABs. That's better than Prince Fielder (17.7) and Ryan Braun (18.6).

 

The odds of guys with more AAA strikeouts than hits becoming productive major league regulars are quite steep and the Brewers could have gotten more for Davis after this year.

 

I suppose it's a plus that we'll know about Santana, but I fear he'll be exposed and they'll still be looking for corner OF help.

 

 

I think the concern about Santana is legit and I have similar concerns. The thing is, this was much more about getting a catching prospect in the system than it was about making room for Santana. Giving Santana fulltime work in 2016 is the icing on the cake of this trade. You want to know, sooner rather than later, exactly what you have in Santana. By the time the Brewers are contending, Santana may be in his arbitration years anyways. The Brewers have a lot of OF's in the pipeline, it is hardly "Santana or bust". Trent Clark is the kid who will likely be pushing for a starting spot in 2018/2019

[Austin Tatious]

I like the trade for a variety of reasons. Khris Davis has a singular talent, but it is a premium talent, namely power. He has shortcomings to be sure, but that power is a draw. The Brewers should have been able to command a nice return for him, and they did.

 

Nottingham is a nice pickup. Some of the services rank him in the top 100. I believe I saw where he was as high as 61. We can all agree he's only had one nice year at a low level, plus his catching future is sketchy at best. But, realistically, catcher is a premium position, and the value of a solid catcher is much higher than that of an outfielder because a catcher is very hard to find. I'd argue the Brewers did well here.

 

But we can also agree Nottingham is no sure bet. I have a theory that it takes something like three "good" prospects to hit on one "good" major leaguer. If you look at our old prospect lists, we've seen so many guys fall by the side of the road. LaPorta, Will Inman, Zach Braddock, Thorny, Gamel, Krynzel, Mike Jones, you could go on forever. The 2009 draft had a whopping 6 of the top 105 draft picks and zero of them hit. If you look at some of our acquisitions, Villar, Liriano, Middlebrooks, and Cecchini, were all top prospects who are now on second chances.

 

Nottingham may not hit. But, Stearns is playing the numbers game. Just keep cranking the acquisitions. If we get so many nice prospects, enough of them are bound to become bona fides.

[endaround]

I understand why the brewers made this trade, but it doesn't make much sense for the athletics. I understand you get a youngish controllable power hitter, but you are nowhere near competing for the AL west crown and you gave up one of the better catching prospects in the game, which there aren't many at all.

The A's only had a -35 run differential at the end of the year so there were better than a 68 win team. And the Rangers only had a +18. They are currently projected to be about .500 for 2016 (prior to Davis).

 

They got cost controlled right handed power, one of the most expensive skills in the game. They gave up a guy who might not stick at catcher who hit .299/.352/.426 for them at High A (wRC+ 107). They may very well think they are bailing out of a sinking ship who if he can't stay at catcher has little to no value.

[Austin Tatious]

Santana is an interesting guy. He strikes out a lot but he's not just purely undisciplined. He actually works some counts and has a decent OBP. I'm not sure he is just a free swinger.

 

He may strike out but his average and walk rate may be better than Davis'.

 

One negative with him is I saw him not fully hustle at times. I hope they teach that out of him. I don't want to see that as a habit.

 

His tools defensively are solid.

 

He has a chance to prove himself. He's an athlete. If anyone is remotely the next Bautista or Cruz its going to be Santana not Davis IMO. He needs to play all out and not dog it.

 

If Santana is not up to it, there are lots of outfielders nipping at his heels coming up. Orimoloye, Harrison, Coulter, Clark, Reed. The next guy will wipe him out if he doesn't turn into a .280 30 HR guy.

 

In the meantime, in 2016, the Brewers have the number 5 pick and four of the top 100. In 2017 they should have a similar draft. There is a lot more of high end athleticism that is going to be infused into the roster.

[StearnsFTW]

I'm also not a huge fan of this deal but it makes a lot of sense for both sides. I feel like maybe the Brewers should've gotten a bit extra; maybe that's just being greedy. Khris is coming right into his prime and under team control for 4 years yet. That's the exact kind of thing this team should be trying to accomplish. I agree that defensively he has issues but his bat is proven with the potential for more yet as he enters what should be his best years.

 

This seems like the first "targeted" deal by Stearns. Nottingham, while still young, has had one good half season of low minor ball. I suppose that's why he was available. It's obvious he's still taking a quantity with greater risk over trying to acquire more advanced prospects. I'm also wondering if it's a bit of a 'save face' sort of move with an impending Lucroy trade. Might make justifying trading your best player easier when you just traded for the guy who's supposed to replace him...... I don't think he'd admit to that but I can't help but think it's in the back of his mind.

 

The deal makes sense for both sides. I fully expect Davis to do well in Oakland and utilize the DH some. Obviously the Brewers got somebody that fits a need and a pitcher who has really yet to fail as a pro.

 

I have no idea why Oakland made this trade. They're going to be terrible either way and they're in a brutal division. I don't get it.

 

They picked up a cheap power hitter for very little and they control him for 4 years. What's the downside there? If he has one good year they flip for way more than they gave up since power is a very rare tool these days. Plus they have the DH so his value is higher in Oakland.

 

It was a great trade for Oakland. As for Milwaukee, it is another step in building the low minors and making sure the MLB roster puts them in position to pick high in the draft the next three years which is the real prize in all the Stearns moves.

 

A. I don't think they paid very little. I personally think Nottingham is a great prospect.

 

B. I don't think Davis is all that good. I think his last 2 months were fool's gold.

 

C. Oakland was awful before this trade. They're very likely to be awful after the trade. If Davis was 22, it'd be different. He's 28. He'll be gone next time they're good.

 

This deal makes no sense for Oakland at all to me.

[patrickgpe]

I would think the OF would probably be Davis, Liriano and Braun, and Broxton and Nieuwenhuis on the bench? I like it

[patrickgpe]

I also like that this trade opens up a spot on the 40 if one of our 18 NRI players catches fire and makes the 25, which isn't being mentioned at all.

[SRB]

Some of you are making this out to be the equivalent of trading Overbay to make room for Fielder. Make no mistake Domingo Santana is no Prince Fielder, and Khris Davis possesses a unique skill (power) that sets him well above the level of Overbay. Davis has one HR every 17.2 major league ABs. That's better than Prince Fielder (17.7) and Ryan Braun (18.6).

 

And Chris Carter has one HR every 15.9 major league ABs. (You know, the guy we signed off the scrapheap on a one-year, $2.5M deal.)

 

Power is not everything. Santana has better on-base skills and is a better defender than Davis (who is a fine player, don't get me wrong). And on top of that, let's not forget that Santana is young and has pretty great power potential.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Some of you are making this out to be the equivalent of trading Overbay to make room for Fielder. Make no mistake Domingo Santana is no Prince Fielder, and Khris Davis possesses a unique skill (power) .

 

I don't see anyone saying this or even hinting this. What people Are saying is that it gives us an opportunity to see if Santana has the ability to play at the major league level. Also to say that Davis has a unique skill is a bit of a false statement. He has power which is nice but it is certainly not unique.

[danzig6767]

 

I have no idea why Oakland made this trade. They're going to be terrible either way and they're in a brutal division. I don't get it.

Davis has four years of team control for Oakland, it's not as if he was only a three month rental at the deadline instead. So even if the A's do struggle this year, Davis could end up being a big bat for them the following season if they are better that year or traded by Beane say two years from now if he becomes a consistent 30 plus homer guy.

 

That four years of team control is likely a big reason why Oakland made the trade. Power is down in baseball right now and Davis has plenty of it, along with him being really cheap.

[StearnsFTW]

 

I have no idea why Oakland made this trade. They're going to be terrible either way and they're in a brutal division. I don't get it.

Davis has four years of team control for Oakland, it's not as if he was only a three month rental at the deadline instead. So even if the A's do struggle this year, Davis could end up being a big bat for them the following season if they are better that year or traded by Beane say two years from now if he becomes a consistent 30 plus homer guy.

 

That four years of team control is likely a big reason why Oakland made the trade. Power is down in baseball right now and Davis has plenty of it, along with him being really cheap.

 

I just think they paid dearly. I may be in the minority there.

[brewmann04]

Davis power was oblivious but every team ran on him because of his relative weak arm. Think we also have not see the last move here.