Stephen Piscotty Traded To Athletics

The St. Louis Cardinals may not be finished wheeling a dealing just yet. Late Wednesday night they agreed to trade outfielder Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics. That trade became official Thursday morning. In return for Piscotty, the Athletics give the Cardinals two prospects. Those two prospects are second baseman Max Schrock, and shortstop Yairo Munoz.

Piscotty, 26, gives the Athletics a good building piece in their rebuild mode. He came up for the Cardinals in 2015 and did well, hitting 305, with 29, runs, 71 hits, 15 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs, 39 rbi's, 2 stolen bases, and 20 walks in 63 games. In 2016, he was able to improve numbers in his first full season. He hit .273, with 22 home runs, and 85 rbi's. The 2017 season, seems like it was a lost year for Piscotty. He had injuries, and his mom got diagnosed with ALS. Both of those seemed to affect his season. Piscotty is still a good player, he just needs a change of scenery.

Piscotty has played three seasons in the MLB. Over those three season's his career numbers are: 323 games played, 155 runs, 310 hits, 66 doubles, 8 triples, 38 home runs, 163 rbi's, 12 stolen bases, 123 walks, and a .268 batting average.

Who is Max Schrock? Who is Yairo Munoz?

Schrock, 23, was the Athletics 17th best prospect. He was drafted in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Washington Nationals. He was later traded to the Athletics. What's best that teams like about Schrock? It's that has the potential to hit. His power isn't fully there yet, but he has done well and plays defense. Last season, he Double-A he hit .321, with 55 runs, 134 hits, 19 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 46 rbi's, and 4 stolen bases. Overall in three seasons, he's played 281 games, with 165 runs, 364 hits, 61 doubles, 7 triples, 18 home runs, 131 rbi's, 28 stolen bases, 78 walks, and a .324 batting average.

Munoz, 22, was signed by the Athletics as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2012. He was the Athletics 13th best prospect. Munoz is mainly a shortstop, but he can also play third base, and second base. His power makes him intriguing. Last season, with combined stats in both Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .300, with 65 runs, 134 hits, 26 doubles, 4 triples, 13 home runs, 68 rbi's, 22 stolen bases, and 21 walks. Overall in six seasons, he's played 473 games, with 228 runs, 474 hits, 95 doubles, 16 triples, 41 home runs, 228 rbi's, 58 stolen bases, 101 walks, and a .267 batting average.

If there were to be a winner in this trade it could be the Cardinals. That's because of both of the prospects names and are pretty good prospects. It's also a good trade for both teams. Why is it good for both?

Piscotty needed to be closer to home because his mom has ALS. The Athletics like that Piscotty is under team control for awhile, after the Cardinals gave him a contract extension back in April. Without that contract extension the Athletics may not have been interested in Piscotty. Hopefully the trade helps Piscotty bounce back in 2018.