Elvis leaving Texas: Rangers deal Andrus to A’s for DH Davis
Elvis is leaving Texas. Veteran infielder Elvis Andrus was traded to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, just over two months after the Texas Rangers said the only player remaining from their only two World Series appearances would no longer be the starting shortstop after 12 seasons in that role.
Texas is sending the 32-year-old Andrus, catcher Aramis Garcia and $13.5 million to the A’s for designated hitter Khris Davis, along with catcher Jonah Heim and right-hander Dane Acker.
Andrus, who made his MLB debut with the Rangers at age 20 in 2009, is owed $14 million in each of the next two seasons. The $120 million, eight-season deal he signed in 2015 also includes a $15 million option for 2023 that because of the trade becomes a player option if he has 550 plate appearances in 2022, or 1,100 combined in 2021-22.
Oakland recently lost shortstop Marcus Semien to Toronto in free agency.
The Rangers said in December that Gold Glove-winning third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa would be given the opportunity to be their starting shortstop next season. They told Andrus then to prepare to play all infield positions.
When Andrus made his big-league debut, the Rangers moved Michael Young — then 32 himself — to third base after he had been an All-Star shortstop the previous five seasons. Young is still the team’s career leader and Andrus is second on the list for games played, at-bats and triples. Young is also the career leader for hits and runs, with Andrus third in both those categories.
Andrus has batted .274 over his 12 seasons, and the two-time All-Star is the only MLB player with at least 10 seasons of 145 games or more since he debuted in 2009, before the Rangers went to the World Series in each of the next two seasons. He hit .194 last season when limited to 29 games because of lingering lower back issues.
The 33-year-old Davis led the majors with 48 home runs in 2018. He has hit .243 with 218 homers and 580 RBIs in 938 big-league games for the A’s (2016-20) and the Milwaukee Brewers (2013-15).
Heim, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, made his major-league debut with the A’s in 2020, hitting .211 with five RBIs in 13 games. Acker was the A’s fourthround selection out of Oklahoma in the shortened MLB draft last summer.