Elvis Andrus Traded to the Oakland Athletics

Elvis Andrus is heading west…

The 32-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop has been traded to the Oakland Athletics.

Elvis Andrus

The announcement comes two months after the Texas Rangers said the only player remaining from their only two World Series appearances would no longer be the starting shortstop after 12 seasons in that role.

Texas sent Andrus, catcher Aramis Garcia and $13.5 million to the A’s for designated hitter Khris Davis, catcher Jonah Heim and right-hander Dane Acker.

Andrus is owed $14 million in each of the next two seasons. The $120 million, eight-season deal he signed in 2015 also includes a $15 million option for 2023 that now, because of the trade, becomes a player option if he has 550 plate appearances in 2022, or 1,100 combined in 2021-22.

“At the beginning it was a little shock but at the same time I understood what was going on in our (Texas) organization, they’re rebuilding and that process,” Andrus said. “When I found out, the opportunity playing for Oakland opened up, it makes sense for me for my career, for where I’m at right now.”

The AL West champion A’s, who made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, recently lost shortstop Marcus Semien to Toronto in free agency.

“Elvis will fit in very well with our infielders. He has a passion for defense as do our other guys,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “I’ve seen his leadership qualities from the opposing dugout for 10 years now.”

The Rangers, whose only World Series appearances came in 2010 and 2011, said in December that Gold Glove-winning third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa would be given the opportunity to be their top shortstop. Andrus was told then to prepare to play all infield positions.

When Andrus made his MLB debut in 2009 at age 20, the Rangers moved Michael Young — then 32 himself — to third base after he had been an All-Star shortstop the previous five seasons. Young is still the team’s career leader and Andrus is second on the list for games played, at-bats and triples. Young is also the career leader for hits and runs, with Andrus third in both those categories.

Andrus has a .274 career batting average, and the two-time All-Star is the only MLB player with at least 10 seasons of 145 games or more since his debut. But he hit .194 last season when limited to 29 games because of lingering lower back issues, and said he isn’t sure people realized how difficult it was to play through that.

“I was really hurt, I wasn’t physically ready,” he said. “Last year took a lot of me. I think the team didn’t like what they saw and kind of didn’t understand me a little bit. At the end I think it’s something that you cannot control as a player. They have a different direction than where I’m at right now.”

Davis led the majors with 48 home runs in 2018, but has since then struggled to consistently find his stroke. Now primarily a DH after once being a regular left fielder, he has hit .243 with 218 homers and 580 RBIs in 938 big league games for the A’s (2016-20) and the Milwaukee Brewers (2013-15). Davis hit .271 with 15 doubles, 32 homers and 80 RBIs in 79 career games against Texas.

“Khris has been a popular favorite of everyone here in Oakland, including mine,” Melvin said. “We wish him the best in his new baseball chapter.”

Davis, signed for $16.75 million this season, hit .220 over 133 games in 2019, after a quirky stat of four straight years with a .247 batting average. He appeared in 30 games during the shortened 2020 campaign and hit .200 with two homers and 10 RBIs.

Garcia, acquired from the San Francisco Giants on a waiver claim in November, missed all of the 2020 season while recovering from surgery on his right hip labrum.

Heim, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, made his major league debut with the A’s in 2020, hitting .211 with five RBIs in 13 games. Acker was the A’s fourth-round selection out of Oklahoma in the shortened MLB draft last summer.

The Rangers were an AL-worst 22-38 last season, and turned their focus to younger players. They had three 22-year-old rookies in the starting lineup on the final day of the season, a decade after the team’s first World Series when Andrus was the youngster.

Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires Domestic Rights to Victoria Justice’s “Summer Night”

It should be a great Summer for Victoria Justice 

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the domestic rights to Joseph Cross’ feature directorial debut Summer Night, starring the 25-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer.

Victoria Justice

Summer Night follows a group of young best friends confronted with a series of fast-approaching life decisions during the course of the night that will either leave them stuck in the comfort of adolescence or catapult them into adulthood.

In addition to Justice, the film also stars Ellar Coltrane, Ian NelsonAnaleigh Tipton Callan McAuliffeElla HuntHayden SzetoBill Milner, Lana CondorElena Kampouris, Khris Davis,Melina Vidler and Justin Chatwin.

“We were drawn to the talented young cast as we journey with them through a night of drama, music, romance and hanging with your friends. We’re excited to be able to bring Joseph’s vision to audiences,” says Miles Fineburgof Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Cross says, “We are thrilled to partner with Samuel Goldwyn Films to bring Summer Night to audiences across the country. Their enthusiasm for our movie was unmatched, which convinced us that they were the ideal partner for the release. We are looking forward to our continued relationship with their
team.”

Samuel Goldwyn Films will release Summer Night next spring.

Giancarlo Stanton Hits MLB-Leading 54th Home Run of the Season

And the hits just keep coming for Giancarlo Stanton

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican professional baseball player hit his MLB-leading 54th home run of the season in the Miami Marlins‘ 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Giancarlo Stanton

After being given a day off on Friday, Stanton hit the homer off rookie left-hander Max Fried in the first inning on Saturday night.

The ball would have traveled 456 feet unimpeded, according to MLB Statcast, and landed deep into the left-center seats.

Stanton’s 54 homers are the same number that Mark McGwire had through this date in 1999 and the same number Sammy Sosa had through this date in 2001, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Stanton has six homers against the Braves this season. He now has 15 more homers than New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge and Oakland AthleticsKhris Davis, who were tied for second.

The previous Marlins record was 42 homers by Gary Sheffield in 1996.

Flores Wins Arbitration Case Against the New York Mets

Wilmer Flores is celebrating a big win off the field…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder defeated the New York Mets in the team’s first salary arbitration hearing since pitcher Oliver Perez won in 2008.

Wilmer Flores

Flores was awarded a $2.2 million salary on Saturday by arbitrators Mark Irvings, Sylvia Skratek and Robert Herzog, who heard the case a day earlier.

The Mets contended he should be paid $1.8 million. Flores made more than $526,000 last year and was eligible for arbitration for the first time.

Flores played all four infield positions last season. He hit .267, matched his career high with 16 homers and had 49 RBIs.

Teams are 3-2 in arbitration this year. Oakland outfielder Khris Davis also won, and Arizona pitcher Shelby Miller, Boston pitcher Fernando Abad and Baltimore catcher Caleb Joseph lost.

Fourteen players remain scheduled for hearings, which run through February 17.

Perez won his hearing in 2008 and made $6.5 million instead of the team’s offer of $4.7 million.