Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki (8) throws his bat down after hitting a ground ball to the Seattle Mariners during the 6th inning at Safeco Field. Oakland defeated Seattle 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE
The A's traded long-time catcher Kurt Suzuki to the Washington Nationals for a 23-year-old catching prospect who they'll trade for a 23-year-old catching prospect in five years.
The Oakland Athletics are very much in a pennant race right now, so you'd expect them to be trolling the waiver wires, looking for pieces to help a contender. But after the acquisition of George Kottaras and the emergence of rookie Derek Norris, the A's had one catcher too many. The odd man out was six-year veteran and fan favorite Kurt Suzuki.
From the Nationals' official Twitter account:
BREAKING: #Nats acquire C Kurt Suzuki from #Athletics for C David Freitas
The Nationals lost starting catcher Wilson Ramos to injury early in the season, and the job has been filled mostly by Jesus Flores, who has hit .225/.262/.324. You can see how they'd want to upgrade.
Except Suzuki has been just as bad this season, hitting .218/.250/.286. The 28-year-old is signed through 2013, with an $8.5 million team option for 2014. His career numbers are much better, though, so the Nationals could be expecting a rebound.
Freitas is a 23-year-old catcher currently in high-A. He's a career .288/.398/.437 hitter with excellent plate discipline. He was quite possibly the most A's player in the minor leagues.
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