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Post date: Jun 3, 2012 3:02:52 PM

3rd baseman Evan Longoria returns to the A's in a trade with Omaha

In a stunning move that developed suddenly out of the blue, the A's re-acquired 3rd baseman Evan Longoria in a major trade with the Omaha Royals, a year and a half after dealing him away. In the deal the Athletics also acquired injured Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera who will miss the rest of the 2012 season. Going to Omaha will be elite pitching prospects Archie Bradley and Zach Lee, as well as the 4th overall selection in the upcoming 2012 WFBL Amateur Draft.

On March 28th, 2011 in the immediate aftermath of the Annual Draft, the A's executed the series of major trades which has become known in team lore as the "Valentine's Massacre" due to each of the deals being negotiated during Valentine's Day week a month earlier. One of those trades saw Longoria, Joakim Soria and Jordan Lyles shipped to the Royals franchise, then known as the Omaha Mavericks, in exchange for a package that included Eric Hosmer, Daniel Bard and Bradley himself among others.

"Frankly, we never saw this coming" said GM Matt Veasey. "Omaha approached us looking to re-acquire Bradley. We loved the kid and really had no interest in trading him. However, they had one thing that we've been looking for in Longo, so we asked. In the end it was a fairly straightforward negotiation. We are very happy to have him back. Never, ever thought we'd see him in an A's uniform again."

In Longoria, who is on the DL right now and will be for probably another 3-4 weeks, the A's acquire one of the top 3rd basemen, maybe THE top 3rd baseman, in the game today. Also, at just age 26, Longoria will be a part of the continued youthful development going forward. He is a little older than most of the core with a few years experience that will prove invaluable as the team continues to build toward true contending status again. Rivera will provide the team with another closing relief option in the 2013 season.

"I can't wait to write Evan's name back into the lineup" said manager Buck Showalter. "He's probably going to slot right into the 3rd or 4th spot in our batting order, and I can tell you this, we're not gonna let him get away again."