Oakland A’s outfielder Billy Burns will join the Kansas City Royals for the rest of the 2016 season after acquiring him via trade Saturday. The Athletics announced Burns’ move to the Royals in exchange for outfielder Brett Eibner. Eibner will be heading to Triple-A Nashville following the exchange.
Royals Acquire Billy Burns for Brett Eibner
Burns played seventy-three games this season for Oakland and hit .234/.270/.303 with twelve RBI. Burns is able to play corner outfield but typically covers center field. With solid athleticism, his overall speed helps him cover plenty of ground in center field. He is also an asset on the basepaths, ripping off twenty-six bases a season ago and fourteen bases this season before the trade. He may not covet a lot of power, but his aggressive base-running style should fit in well with the Royals.
Brett Eibner appeared in twenty-six games for Kansas City this season and hit .231/.286/.423 with three home runs. Eibner suffered an ankle sprain in May and went on the disabled list. He hasn’t played since May 27 and was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday to make room for the long-awaited return of Lorenzo Cain. Eibner was ranked by MLB.com as the 28th prospect in Kansas City’s system before the 2016 season. The Royals are ten games back in the American League Central, behind the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the Cleveland Indians. On a positive note, they at least have Burns for next year if they are unable to make a late charge into the postseason.
Billy Burns is a controllable outfielder with speed. He’s a year younger than Brett Eibner. Had a .334 OBP last year, struggled this year.
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) July 30, 2016
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