The Oakland A's on Monday traded catcher Jason Kendall and cash considerations to the Chicago Cubs for catcher Rob Bowen and minor league left-hander Jerry Blevins.
It's hard to know what to make of this deal until we know what cash considerations were involved, but my guess is the A's are essentially responsible for most of the (approximately) $3 million the A's owe Kendall for the rest of this season (the Pirates owe him a nice chunk, too, but I'm guessing they're not getting any relief in this deal).
Basically, the A's are simply getting rid of a headache. They've now scored three or fewer runs in 10 straight games, which they hadn't done in nearly 30 years. Somebody had to go, and apparently the hitting coach wasn't available.
Which isn't to say Kendall deserved any more playing time. Offensively, he's a zero. Actually, if he were a zero he'd be a plus, overall. But he's a big minus with the bat, which makes him a minus generally. And no matter who replaces him -- Bowen isn't good enough to play regularly, which presumably means the Kurt Suzuki Era begins tonight.
Blevins has been impressive this season, with a combined 1.02 ERA in 38 relief outings in Class A and Double A this season (and 69 strikeouts in 53 innings). My guess is that he's been doing it with smoke and mirrors, since he didn't show up on any preseason prospect lists and there's nothing on the Web suggesting that he's got a nuclear slider or something. In other words, a class throw-in.
This deal is all about addition by subtraction. With the A's tanking, general manager Billy Beane simply had to do something, and dumping the guy batting .226 with two homers was the obvious move.
Which leaves just one question: Why on earth would the Cubs want Kendall? Bowen is probably nearly as good as Kendall, and prospect Geovany Soto is almost certainly better. Wasn't Soto's emergence this season one of the justifications for trading Michael Barrett? Granted, the Cubs are contenders no matter who's behind the plate. But it's awfully hard to figure how this deal could possibly make them better.
Rob Neyer
