Outfielder Billy Burns will join the Kansas City Royals for the stretch run of the 2016 season after the defending champions acquired him via trade Saturday.
The Oakland Athletics announced they moved Burns to the Royals in exchange for outfielder Brett Eibner. Oakland also noted Eibner will head to Triple-A Nashville following the swap.
Burns played 73 games this season for Oakland and slashed .234/.270/.303 with 12 RBI and no home runs. From a statistical perspective, it represents a decline from his 2015 effort at the plate when he slashed .294/.334/.392 with five home runs and 42 RBI in 125 contests.
He typically handles center field with solid athleticism, but Burns is capable of playing in the corner outfield as well after spending some time in right field this year. He is responsible for one total defensive run saved above average this year after posting a decent four defensive runs saved above average in 2015, per FanGraphs.
His overall speed helps him cover ground in center field and post those fielding numbers, but he is also an asset on the basepaths. He stole 26 bases a season ago and 14 bases this season before Saturday’s trade.
The Royals are not afraid to challenge on the basepaths either, so Burns should fit in nicely. Entering Saturday’s MLB slate, Kansas City was 12th in the league in stolen bases with 59, per ESPN.com.
As for Eibner, he appeared in 26 games for Kansas City this season and slashed .231/.286/.423 with three home runs. However, he hasn’t played since May 27 and was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday to make room for Lorenzo Cain’s return from injury, per Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
Eibner suffered an ankle sprain in May and went on the disabled list. MLB.com ranked him as the 28th-best prospect in Kansas City’s system entering the 2016 season.
Although they no longer have Eibner in the system, the Royals do get a player who is under team control for the remainder of this season and all of 2017 in Burns, per Spotrac. They are 10 games back in the American League Central and looking up at the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, but at least they have Burns for next year if they are unable to make a late charge.
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