Brett Lawrie may have never gotten over being the centerpiece of the package the Oakland Athletics received in return for Josh Donaldson, who won the AL MVP award with the Toronto Blue Jays last season. But the third baseman won’t have to carry that burden anymore, as his slate has been presumably wiped clean with a trade to the Chicago White Sox Wednesday evening.
Lawrie goes to the South Side in exchange for two minor league pitchers. Neither are among Oakland’s top prospects, which might be an indication of just how far Lawrie’s stock has fallen since his days of being regarded as a rising star with the Brewers and Blue Jays. Yet even though the two young arms may not be highly regarded, their numbers show promise.
To my new teammates and fans of the @whitesox whatsssss upppppppppppp 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Brett Lawrie (@blawrie13) December 10, 2015
J.B. Wendelken, 22, finished last season in Triple-A and his 4.19 ERA in 12 appearances shows that he probably needs some more development. But he could also contribute to the A’s bullpen next year. Overall, Wendelken posted a 3.20 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks in 59 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He has compiled big strikeout numbers (averaging nine per nine innings) during his three years in the minors.
Left-hander Zack Irwin, 21, split his time between rookie league and low Single-A ball after being drafted in the fourth round this year. He finished with a 1.34 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. Recently promoted general manager David Forst told reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Susan Slusser, that the A’s liked Irwin in this year’s draft but weren’t able to select him. Obviously, they have him now.
For the White Sox, Lawrie provides a significant upgrade at third base, which was a major hole for them last season. White Sox third basemen hit a combined .226 with a .622 OPS, the worst in MLB. Neither Tyler Saladino, Gordon Beckham, nor Mike Olt was the answer at that position, which made getting Lawrie a priority for general manager Rick Hahn.
The 25-year-old played a career-high 149 games last season, after sustaining several serious injuries during his five-year MLB career. He batted .260 with 29 doubles, 16 home runs and 60 RBI, all his season totals as a major leaguer. But his .299 on-base percentage, .707 OPS and 144 strikeouts in 602 plate appearances show that there is still major improvement to be made with making contact and getting on base. (He also had a surprisingly rough year defensively, costing the A’s 10 runs more than an average third baseman in MLB.)
Lawrie was expected to be a star for the Blue Jays and Athletics, and is still young enough to fulfill those expectations to some level. He may never be an All-Star caliber player, but getting away from the shadow of being traded for Donaldson, playing in a more home run-friendly ballpark and being a major improvement over what the White Sox had at third base will likely affect how he’s viewed. Obviously, he has an excellent opportunity to change the general perception of him during the next two seasons.
