The Oakland A’s have traded second baseman Mark Ellis to the Colorado Rockies for minor-league reliever Bruce Billings and a player to be named later.
Is Mark Ellis Going To Fix The Rockies?
PHOENIX, AZ - FILE: Mark Ellis #14 of the Oakland Athletics poses for a portrait during media photo day at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Getty ImagesNow, it should be said that the Rockies’ second basemen probably haven’t been the worst in the major leagues. They’ve combined for a 610 OPS, which is obviously terrible but (believe it or not) ranks 23rd among the 30 teams.
Of course, OPS doesn’t include defense; considering that none of the Rockies’ five second basemen this season have reminded anyone of Bill Mazeroski -- or for that matter, Bill’s little brother Joey Mazeroski, the one with the club foot -- we might assume that Colorado’s keystoners have ranked in the bottom quintile. If not worse.
Read Article >Mark Ellis Traded To Colorado Rockies
Ellis has spent his entire major-league career with the A’s, playing nine seasons as the starter. His hitting was inconsistent, but both scouts and stats always loved his defense.
The A’s will receive Bruce Billings, a 25-year-old reliever, and a player to be named later. John Sickels rated Billings as a grade-C prospect, and wrote this in his Prospect Handbook:
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