The Oakland A’s announced today that they had acquired catcher Austin Allen and a player to be named later from the San Diego Padres in exchange for second baseman Jurickson Profar.
Allen, who spent the majority of his 2019 at El Paso with the Padres triple A team, is a left-handed hitting catcher. In his time at triple A, Allen slashed .330/.379./663 with 21 home runs, good enough for a 1.042 OPS and 142 wRC+ in 298 PAs. Allen also had 71 PAs in the majors, where he slashed .215/.282/.277, for a .559 OPS and a wRC+ of 39. Defensively, Allen is rated as a good defender. Baseball Prospectus’s FRAA rated Allen as saving 7.1 runs above the average in 528.2 innings at El Paso
Profar, a switch hitter, spent 2019 playing second base in the majors with the A’s, where he slashed .218/.301/.410 with 20 home runs in 518 PAs, good enough for a .711 OPS and an 89 wRC+. Profar struggled defensively, having -10 DRS and -1.0 UZR
Allen will most likely make the A’s opening day roster as the backup for Sean Murphy, with the A’s non tendering Josh Phegly to avoid going through arbitration with him
Profar will take the starting second baseman roll for the Padres, with Ian Kinsler dealing with a herniated disk in his neck.
Featured Photo: San Diego Padres/Twitter (@Padres)
