Trade Central: A's and Royals Swap Speedy Outfielders

THE DEAL

The Royals are 10 games back in the American League Central and the Athletics are 12.5 games back in the AL West, but that didn’t keep the two teams from pulling off a trade deadline challenge trade, swapping a pair of speedy outfielders. Kansas City acquired center fielder Billy Burns in exchange for center fielder Brett Eibner.

ATHLETICS ACQUIRE
Brett Eibner, of
Age: 27

It took Eibner six years to make it to the majors after being picked by the Royals in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Arkansas. Eibner was a two-way star for the Razorbacks, one many teams preferred as a lefthanded pitcher with a 95-mph fastball, but he preferred to hit, and the Royals were enamored enough with his power/speed combo to give him a shot. Eibner has made a number of significant and needed tweaks to his swing over the years. He hit .196/.299/.388 in a disastrous 2012 season at high Class A Wilmington, but to his credit, he slowly and steadily improved to the point where he hit .303/.364/.514 for Triple-A Omaha last year. Eibner’s hitting ability is still his greatest weakness, and considering he’s 27, it likely always will be. He is a plus runner who has base stealing ability, even if he is too passive on the basepaths to normally take advantage of it. He can play all three outfield spots, with enough arm for right field and enough range for center. Given everyday at-bats, he could hit 15 home runs, but he would likely do so while providing a below-average batting average and on-base percentage. The biggest impediment to Eibner serving as a backup outfielder is his high-maintenance swing. He is the type of hitter who does better with regular at-bats.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Omaha (Pacific Coast)	AAA	.288	50	184	37	53	7	1	11	32	30	48	5	.385	.516
Kansas City (American)	MLB	.231	26	78	11	18	6	0	3	10	6	23	0	.286	.423

ROYALS ACQUIRE
Billy Burns, of
Age: 26

The most famous player to come out of Mercer until Kyle Lewis earned College Player of the Year and became a first-round pick this year, Burns is one of the fastest players in the game. Much like current Royals outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Terrance Gore, he’s a true 80 runner, one who can slap infield singles and steal bases with ease. That’s the extent of his offensive approach, as he is a slap hitter with very little power. Burns has never posted a .100 isolated power in his career and he doesn’t draw walks. To succeed Burns has to put the ball in play and hope his line drives and grounders find holes. When they do, like they did last year (.339 BABIP), he is a productive player. When they don’t (.261 BABIP this year), he’s an offensive liability, which led to his recent demotion back to Triple-A. Burns didn’t switch hit at Mercer and he remains much stronger from his more natural righthand side. Considering the Royals have another speedy hitter in Dyson who is much better against righthanders, there are the potential makings of a useful platoon for Kansas City. Burns will be arbitration eligible in 2018, so he’s inexpensive for at least one more season.