Who Did the Oakland Athletics Get in the Ben Zobrist Trade?

The Oakland Athletics’ fire sale continues.

General manager Billy Beane has never been shy at the trade deadline. If his team is in postseason contention, he’ll add mid-season rentals. If his team is out of the picture, he has no problem parting ways with some of his most valuable assets in an effort to quicken the rebuilding period. This year, with the A’s in last place in the AL West, it’s the latter.

Oakland already dealt Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros last week, and now, just three days before the July 31 deadline, it has shipped Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals, per FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

In return, Oakland is getting pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

Manaea, rated by Baseball Prospectus as the 85th-best prospect in the league and by MLB.com as Kansas City’s second-best prospect, is a 23-year-old left-hander with an extremely bright future.

Once a candidate to be drafted No. 1 overall, he slipped to No. 34 in 2013 after suffering a torn labrum in his right hip. Injuries have again affected him this year, as abdominal and groin strains forced him to miss the first half of the season. In seven starts across rookie-ball, High-A and Double-A, he has a 3.69 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 39 strikeouts in 31.2 innings.

The injuries are obviously a concern, but he’s a 6-foot-5 left-handed starter with highly intriguing stuff, especially when it comes to his fastball. If he can stay healthy, he should find his way to Oakland’s rotation in the near future.

Brooks, 25, is a right-hander who was taken in the ninth round of the 2011 draft. In 18 appearances (17 starts) this season with Triple-A Omaha, he is 6-5 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He has 92 strikeouts and 21 walks in 106.2 innings.

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