Trade Central: Coghlan A Cub Again

THE DEAL

The Cubs traded for a familiar face on Thursday, acquiring utilityman Chris Coghlan from the Athletics in exchange for minor league infielder and former Top 100 Prospect Arismendy Alcantara.

Coghlan played for the Cubs in 2014-15 and posted a .793 OPS for them while spending time in left field, right field, first base, second base and third base. The Cubs traded him to the A’s in February for minor league pitcher Aaron Brooks.

Alcantara was a teammate of Coghlan’s with the Cubs in 2014-15. He was playing for Triple-A Iowa at the time of the trade.

CUBS ACQUIRE
Chris Coghlan, if/of
Age: 30

The 2009 National League Rookie of the Year was productive player for most of his eight-year career before struggling with the A’s this season. He hit just .146 with a .487 OPS in 51 games with Oakland. The Cubs are hoping he can regain the magic he showed on the North Side last season, when he hit a career-high 16 homers and drove in 41 runs while posting a .784 OPS to help the Cubs reach the NLCS. He will add outfield depth with Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber on the disabled list.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Oakland (AL)	MAJ	.146	51	158	14	23	5	0	5	14	13	47	1	.215	.272

ATHLETICS ACQUIRE
Arismendy Alcantara, 2b
Age: 24

BA ranked Alcantara the game’s No. 100 prospect before the 2014 season, but Addison Russell and Javier Baez surpassed him as middle infielders in the Cubs system, leaving Alcantara the odd man out. He played parts of 2014-15 with the Cubs and showed power with 10 homers in 70 games in his debut season in 2014, but he hit just .194 in 334 career plate appearances at the major league level and has so far spent all of 2016 in Triple-A. He has 19 extra-base hits and is 21-for-21 in stolen bases this year, but has also struck out in 29 percent of his plate appearances. Alcantara gives the last-place A’s a potentially dynamic young prospect they can hope to retool, and he is in line to take over for Jed Lowrie at second base if the veteran is moved near the trade deadline as expected.