A's pick up Profar in three-team deal
The Oakland Athletics filled their impending hole at second base by trading for infielder Jurickson Profar in a three-team, seven-player deal, the Athletics announced Friday. Profar is coming off his best season as a pro, batting .254 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs in 146 games in 2018. Jed Lowrie, the Athletics second baseman last season, is a free agent and expected to leave. The A's sent infield prospect Eli White and international bonus slot money to the Texas Rangers and sent reliever Emilio Pagan and the 38th pick in the 2019 draft to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rangers received three minor leaguers from Tampa Bay -- left-handers Brock Burke and Kyle Bird and right-hander Yoel Espinal -- and sent righty prospect Rollie Lacy to the Rays. Profar, 25, has a .240 average with 32 homers and 130 RBIs in 352 career games. Pagan was 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA in 55 appearances for Oakland last season. The 27-year-old is 5-4 with a 3.85 ERA in 89 career relief appearances over two seasons. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners in 2017. The 25-year-old Bird was 3-3 with a 2.39 ERA in 43 appearances (six starts) between the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season. Burke, 22, was 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 25 games (22 starts) between the High Single-A and Double-A levels. Espinal, 26, had 10 saves and a 2.25 ERA in 46 relief appearances at the High-A and Double-A levels. White, 24, batted .306 while seeing action at second base, shortstop and third base at Double-A. Lacy, 23, was 6-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 24 appearances (18 starts) for three different Class-A teams. --Field Level Media
