Athletics trade Ben Zobrist to Royals

The Oakland Athletics have agreed to trade two-time All-Star Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Sean Manaea and right-handed pitching prospect Aaron Brooks. The Mets had recently been linked to Zobrist, with Rafael Montero's name surfacing as possible compensation, before talks fell apart. This package for Zobrist will likely be considered superior to what the Mets were willing to deal.

Zobrist is hitting .268/.354/.447 this season, which is more or less in line with his career averages. He has played almost exclusively at second base and in left field this season, but has experience playing shortstop and right field as well. He has quietly been one of the most productive players in all of baseball, averaging almost six fWAR over the past six seasons.

While Zobrist would have been a great fit for the Mets, the acquisition of Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson has made such an upgrade just a bit less of a necessity.