After a hot start to the season, the Athletics have fallen back down to last place in the American League West standings, which is a spot they have become increasingly familiar with in recent seasons. However, moves are still being made in an effort to improve the team, which led to an intriguing trade taking place between the A’s and the Cincinnati Reds.
With a 25-41 record heading into play on Sunday, it’s clear that the Athletics need help at several different spots on their roster. One of those areas of need is the catcher position, so they went out and picked up veteran Austin Wynns, who has a batting average of .400 in the majors this season, in a trade with the Reds, giving the team some help at the spot moving forward.
“The Athletics acquired catcher Austin Wynns from the Cincinnati Reds for cash Sunday,” ESPN reported.
Athletics boost catcher depth with Austin Wynns trade
Wynns has largely spent his career in the majors as a backup catcher, spending time with the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies before finding his way to the Reds. Wynns hasn’t played much this season, but he’s been solid when he’s found his way onto the field, as he’s hitting .400 with three home runs and 11 runs batted in.
The Athletics have primarily used Shea Langeliers at catcher this season, and he’s played well for the most part, hitting .237 with 10 home runs and 27 runs batted in. However, he just hit the injured list with a strained left oblique, and the expectation is that he will miss an extended period of time, which necessitated the move for Wynns. Now, the veteran catcher seems set to get a chance to make the starting job behind the plate his own, with Jhonny Pereda and Willie MacIver also factoring into the mix moving forward.
The post Athletics acquire catcher hitting .400 in Reds trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
