Oakland Athletics Acquire Ben Zobrist

Photo Credit: Kim Klement -USA Today

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to trade Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to the Oakland Athletics for John Jaso and two minor leaguers.

Zobrist has played his entire career for the Rays, being one of the few reliable bats in the lineup. The 33-year-old utility man finished the year with a .272 average, hitting 10 home runs and 34 doubles. He finished his Tampa Bay career with two All-Star appearances and a .264 average.

Escobar, who is also being shipped to Oakland, hit .258 with seven home runs last season. The right-hand hitting shortstop will likely take over the starting duties in Oakland after their former starting shortstop, Jed Lowrie, signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros.

The Rays will receive Jaso, who will take over the starting job at catcher. He batted .264 with nine home runs and 18 doubles. Jaso is a solid hitter when healthy, but he always finds himself on the disabled list at least once a year. Last year, he played in 99 games, the third highest in his five-year career.

The two prospects also being sent to Tampa are shortstop Daniel Robertson and outfielder Boog Powell. Robertson was Oakland’s first round pick back in 2012 and has been tearing it up in the minors, as he recently hit .310 with 15 home runs and 37 doubles in 2014. Powell hit .343 with three home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Oakland has been very busy this offseason, recently acquiring Brett Lawrie from Toronto, shipping away Derek Norris to San Diego, and signing Billy Butler. They have been remodeling their team for another playoff run in 2015. The Rays on the other hand, seem like they are rebuilding for the future, giving up one of their few consistent hitters for a pair of minor leaguers and Jaso.