Over the offseason, the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants swung a rare trade, with the Giants sending pitcher Burch Smith to the East Bay. It was the first time they’d made an MLB-level swap of a player since 1990.
Still, it didn’t appear to be a particularly significant deal. The 30-year-old Smith was a veteran of only 70 major league games to that point, with an ERA north of 6.00, and after all he’d been available for nothing more than cash. It wasn’t certain if he’d even play for Oakland, or merely stash in the minors as depth.