Pair of trades with Horsham shakeup A's roster

A pair of trades on consecutive days between neighboring division rivals has shaken up the roster of the Philadelphia Athletics in a major way, including a change in their starting backstop for the first time in five years.

In the second of the two deals, going down on Monday, June 14 prior to lineup submissions for the start of Week #12, the Athletics sent starting catcher Willson Contreras, highly touted infield prospect Oswald Peraza, and four Minors Draft picks including their first rounder next year to the Chargers.

Coming to the A's will be veteran star catcher J.T. Realmuto in that deal, with Philly also picking up Horsham's first round Majors Draft pick next year and their second the following year.

That trade followed immediately on the heels of the two club's making a huge swap a day earlier. In that one the A's sent a package of starting pitcher Jon Lester, closer Lou Trivino, shortstop Brandon Crawford, and three minor league prospects to the Bolts. Coming back is injured starting pitcher Luis Severino along with a pair of second round Minors Draft choices.

"With the Severino deal, we're looking at him recovering either later this year or at least in plenty of time for spring training next season. He's still a young, talented pitcher who we think can still return to his 2017-18 form," said Athletics GM Matt Veasey. "The package we gave up was large, but it was mostly players we viewed as 'bulk' on our roster."

Then when the Chargers GM Patrick Gordon publicly announced today that he was going the rebuild route, putting Realmuto and others on the trade block, Veasey got right back on the phone.

"JT is a personal favorite, and I think he is arguably the best all-around catcher in the game," said the Philly general manager. "In bringing him here at just a year older than Willson Contreras, we think he still has a number of quality, impact seasons ahead of him."

Veasey emphasized that the trade of Contreras had nothing to do with the catcher's failure to come through on Sunday evening. The A's needed Contreras to reach base just one time in order to defeat Omaha. Instead, he took an 0-4, leaving the club to settle for a 6-6 tie.

Contreras had served as the Athletics starting catcher since the 2016 season, and was the starting catcher on the A's 2018 WFBL championship squad. "Willson has been a big part of the success that we've enjoyed over the last few years,' said Veasey. "It's simply a question of our belief that JT is a much more dynamic offensive player who can help us in all categories."

Having given up four players off their Majors Roster and four Minors prospects in the two deals, the A's GM filled out the roster once again by signing a number of players and prospects. Included in that group is living legend first baseman Miguel Cabrera, returning to the A's for a second go-around this year.