Elvis has left the building. Texas Rangers send Andrus to Oakland in five-player deal
The last member of the Texas Rangers’ two World Series teams, their most veteran player, arguably the face of the franchise, now plays for the Oakland A’s.
Indeed, Elvis has left the building.
The Rangers traded shortstop Elvis Andrus and catcher Aramis Garcia to their division rival for designated hitter Khris Davis and two prospects The trade also included the Rangers shipping $13.5 million to Oakland to help cover Andrus’ contract in 2022, sources said.
The Rangers also received young catcher Jonah Heim and right-hander Dane Acker, a native Texan who was selected from Oklahoma in the fourth round of last year’s MLB Draft. Heim collected his first career hit Aug. 30 at Globe Life Field off Kyle Gibson.
President of baseball operations Jon Daniels said he presented Andrus with the trade Thursday night. Andrus could have nixed the deal with the no-trade protection that comes with players who have played 10 years and five in a row with their current club.
It was evident, though, that the deal gives Andrus the best chance to play every day, an opportunity that no longer existed with the Rangers, and would help the Rangers move forward with their rebuild.
“He’s been one of our most exciting and consistent players here, really, on our best teams,” Daniels said. “I think the energy and enthusiasm and his love to play that he brings to the park every single day really stood out.”
Andrus is a two-time All-Star and has been the Rangers’ Opening Day shortstop the past 12 seasons. He leaves as their franchise leader in stolen bases (305) and a .274 hitter. In an era in which on-base plus slugging percentage has become a vital stat, Andrus’ .702 OPS suggests he is a below-average offensive player.
But numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
Andrus was a spark plug on the 2010 and 2011 American League championship teams after breaking into the lineup to open the 2009 season at age 20. He was acquired in 2007 from the Atlanta Braves in the famed Mark Teixeira trade that signaled a Rangers rebuild, but produced three All-Stars who were key components of the franchise’s most successful era.
His best season came in 2017, when he slugged a career-high 20 home runs and batted .297 en route to being named Rangers Player of the Year for the only time in his career.
Andrus was derailed in 2018 by a broken right arm after being hit by a 95-mph fastball. He hasn’t been the same offensively since, although he did swat 12 homers in 2019.
A back injury played havoc on Andrus during the 2020 season in which he batted just .194 with three homers. The Rangers moved Isiah Kiner-Falefa to shortstop earlier this offseason, leaving Andrus without a position and putting his future with the team in doubt.
“I think this is, honestly, the best thing that could happen for him as well, just because he’s going to get the opportunity to do the thing that he knows he can still do — and that’s play shortstop on a daily basis,” manager Chris Woodward said. “So, I’m excited for him. I’m happy for the opportunity. In all our conversations, I felt like he was ready to have a good year. I’m a little worried that some of that might be against us now.”
Davis hasn’t been much better recently since clubbing 48 home runs in 2018, the last of three straight seasons with 40-plus homers. Slowed by injuries, he slipped to 23 homers in 2019 and had only two in 2020.
His average dipped as well, down to .200 in the abbreviated 2020 campaign, but he remained a high-strikeout hitter.
However, he has always punished Rangers pitching, with 32 homers and a 1.021 OPS in 284 at-bats. He hit 19 of those at Globe Life Park, but was only 1-for-9 with one RBI last season at Globe Life Field.
The addition of Davis creates a logjam at DH, where Willie Calhoun was the presumptive favorite for the position after the Rangers opted to not re-sign Shin-Soo Choo. Davis is a right-handed hitter while Calhoun bats left-handed, so there is the potential for a platoon there.
The Rangers are high on Heim and Acker, but they also believe Davis can help them in 2021.
“We believe that last year’s results for a lot of players were not really indicative of their true abilities,” Daniels said. “He’s going get a chance to come in and compete.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
