Rangers, Athletics agree to deal involving Elvis Andrus, Khris Davis, per report
Two one-time franchise icons trade places in a deal between AL West rivals.
The Rangers and Athletics have agreed to a deal that will send shortstop Elvis Andrus and minor-league catcher David Garcia to Oakland in exchange for DH Khris Davis, catcher Jonah Heim and right-handed pitching prospect Dane Acker. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported the deal first, with the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson contributing details:
The Athletics are acquiring SS Elvis Andrus from the Rangers for DH/OF Khris Davis, sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2021
Full trade, per sources: SS Elvis Andrus, C Aramís García and cash to Athletics. DH Khris Davis, C Jonah Heim and RHP Dane Acker to Rangers. First on Garcia: @Evan_P_Grant.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2021
Source: #Rangers are sending $13.5 million to Oakland in Elvis Andrus-Khris Davis deal.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilson_FWST) February 6, 2021
Andrus, 32, and Davis, 33, were both in need of fresh starts despite strong histories with their now former clubs. Andrus, acquired from the Braves as a teenager in the often-maligned Mark Teixiera deal, has been with the Rangers for his entire major-league career. The two-time All-Star has a .274/.330/.372 career slash line but has been well-below average offensively for three seasons now, posting a career-worst 58 OPS+ during the shortened 2020 season. The Rangers announced that he would be moved off the shortstop position and take on a utility infield role over the winter, with Gold Glove third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa taking over the starting shortstop role. But now, Andrus will get to stay at his natural position, taking over for the departed Marcus Semien.
Davis is largely limited to the DH role, playing just 15 games in the field over the last three seasons and none in 2020. But he can be a huge offensive contributor when he’s right at the plate, having posted three straight 40-plus homer, 100-plus RBI seasons from 2016-18, along with a very solid 23-homer, 73-RBI season in 2019. He doesn’t make a great amount of contact or take a ton of walks, but he’s got game-changing power. With that said, he wasn’t good at all in 2020, when he was reduced to a platoon role and hit just two homers with a .632 OPS in 30 games.
The teams also swapped catchers with limited major-league experience, with Heim — a 25-year-old veteran of 13 big-league games — heading to Texas and Garcia — who played 37 games over two seasons with the Giants before being claimed off waivers by the Rangers this offseason — going back to the Bay Area.
Acker, a right-hander who was selected out of Oklahoma in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, has yet to pitch professionally and will now start his career in the Rangers organization.