ARLINGTON, Texas — The last remaining staple of the Texas Rangers runs to consecutive American League pennants has been traded. The Rangers traded shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Oakland A's on Saturday, according to multiple reports.
In return, the Rangers will receive a player who routinely feasted on Rangers pitching -- designated hitter Khris Davis. Texas also will receive two prospects in the trade.
Andrus finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, was an all-star in 2010, and was a key cog for the Rangers as they made consecutive appearances in the World Series in 2010 and 2011.
He earned a trip to the all-star game once again in 2012. He had his best offensive years in 2016 when he batted .302, and in 2017 when he set a career-high in home runs with 20. In 2020, he played in just under half of the Rangers games, and struggled, batting just .194 with 3 home runs.
Davis is a year older than Andrus, at 33 years old. But he has been a quality power hitter in recent seasons, including in 2018 when he led the majors in home runs, with 48. He hit 43 home runs the year prior. In those two seasons, he received votes in the MVP voting, finishing eighth in 2018.
In 2019, he fell off a bit, hitting just 23 home runs, and batting 27 points lower (.220) than he had in each of the four seasons prior (.247). In 2020, similar to Andrus, he played in just half of the A's games in the COVID-shortened season. He hit just two home runs in 30 games of action.
According to a variety of reports, the prospects involved in the trade are as follows: the Rangers will send catcher Aramis Garcia to the A's, in addition to cash. Oakland will send catcher Jonah Heim and right-handed pitcher Dane Acker to the Rangers. According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Rangers are sending $13.5 million to the A's, to complete the deal.
Davis has one year left on his contract. He'll make $16.75 million this season, and then he will be eligible for free agency.
