A’s and Padres Complete Four-Player Trade Sportsbook
Sportsbook had the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres making a four-player trade last week.
The two players that can impact odds at the online sportsbook the most of the four are Kevin Kouzmanoff who went from the Padres to the A’s and Scott Hairston who goes from Oakland to San Diego.
Sportsbook also had the A’s getting Eric Sogard for Aaron Cunningham. Hairston will be going back to the Padres after they traded him in July. Kouzmanoff goes to the A’s and could be the starter at third base as sportsbook stats indicate, depending upon what happens to Eric Chavez. Online sportsbook has seen the six-time Gold Glove winner battling injuries for the past couple of years. "We had gone into the offseason realizing that with Eric's health the last couple of years, it was a position that we needed to fill, and if Eric was able to come back, then we'd have a good problem on our hands," Oakland general manager Billy Beane said. "We were pretty determined the whole offseason to find someone who could play the position on an everyday basis and hopefully play it well."
The A’s really need Kouzmanoff in case Chavez doesn’t come back at full strength. "I've got some competition," Kouzmanoff said. "He's actually been one of my favorite players to watch. I've admired him for a long time. It'll be exciting getting next to him and taking some swings with him. Obviously it's a challenge. He's a great ballplayer who's established himself well in the game. We'll just see what happens."
Online sportsbook had San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer saying that getting Hairston back is important since he can platoon with center fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and right fielder Will Venable.
Neither the A’s nor the Padres are considered World Series contenders at the sportsbook this season. The Padres, in fact, could be one of the worst teams in the league vs. the sportsbook odds. They traded Jake Peavy late last season and it is almost a given they will trade closer Heath Bell and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez before the trading deadline this coming sportsbook season. Sportsbook odds have Oakland at 70-1 longshots to win the World Series this baseball season. The Padres are even a longer shot at the online sportsbook as they are 75-1 to win the 2010 World Series.
