Aw, hamburgers.
Just when most of us had gotten on board with the idea that the Chicago Cubs should go after Ben Zobrist, it sounds like he’s going elsewhere. To the Nationals? The Giants? The Angels?
Nope. The wily A’s:
The #Athletics are on the verge of acquiring Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar from the #Rays, the @sfchronicle has learned.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) January 10, 2015
Can confirm @susanslusser #athletics are getting Zobrist, Escobar. Can add that #Rays getting Jaso and 2 prospects
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 10, 2015
Toldja every team would be interested in a guy like Zobrist.
It’ll be very interesting to see the prospects included in this kind of deal, together with Jaso, who is a nice piece.
As for the Cubs, maybe that forecloses the chance at a big move the rest of the way, or maybe they start exploring even more creative options. We’ll see.
UPDATE: Well, one of the minor leaguers is a really good one – shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson, according to Ken Rosenthal. He’s a legit prospect (the A’s best overall), and probably a back-half of the top 100 type. The Rays are also getting Boog Powell, according to Susan Slusser. He’s also a decent prospect, but more of a top 15 organizational type.
All in all, that’s not really an enormous price for both Zobrist and Escobar. Jaso is a nice piece, but he’s also a free agent after this season. I’ll need a minute to digest, but it feels like a price the Cubs could have comfortably beat. HOWEVA, it’s not always that simple, because the Rays might have really wanted, for example, a big-time young shortstop like Robertson. The Cubs were not going to give up one of theirs in this kind of deal.
Hey, who knows? Maybe the A’s spin off Zobrist, right?
UPDATE: The deal is now official, as described.