A'S LAND LEFTY KENNEDY
The Oakland Athletics acquired pitchers Joe Kennedy and Jay Witasick from the Colorado Rockies for outfielder Eric Byrnes and infielder Omar Quintanilla.
What does it give the Oakland Athletics
The A's got a perplexing young lefty in Kennedy. The 26-year-old had a great breakthrough season in Colorado last year, a feat not many pitchers can claim to have had in that city. But he's fallen completely apart this season. But the A's are known for their pitching, so there's plenty of reason to believe they can turn him around and he can be a big part of their future. That is, if they don't decide to flip him to another team fairly soon, seeing as there's little room for him in the rotation right now. Meanwhile, in Witasick they get an underrated veteran reliever who has managed to carry his success over to Colorado. If he can pitch there, he can pitch anywhere. And the A's need him to solidify their young bullpen.
What does it give the Colorado Rockies
Byrnes has been rumored to be on the block since spring training and he finally heads to Colorado. Like Kennedy, he had a breakthrough last year but hasn't lived up to it this year. But he is a hard-nosed guy who can play anywhere in the outfield and could see a nice power spike at Coors Field. In Quintanilla, the Rox get a promising young infielder with a tremendous ability to make consistent contact, smacking line drives into the gaps. Having a solid season at Double-A, he can play second or short, but his acquisition is curious considering the promise their young middle infielders have shown. Meanwhile, dumping Kennedy makes room in the rotation for Zach Day, who was acquired earlier in the day, plus the cash helps make up for the dough they sent to Washington with Preston Wilson in the Day deal.
Fantasy impact
