Jameson

Hannah

Cincinnati picked up Hannah from the Athletics last summer as part of the Tanner Roark trade. The 23-year-old former second-round pick was robbed of key development time during MLB’s shortened 2020 campaign and had a rather underwhelming .274/.339/.369 batting line in 491 plate appearances between High-A Stockton and High-A Daytona in 2019. Williams probably carries more perceived upside of the two minor leaguers included in this four-player swap given that he’s 18 years old and was just drafted in the fourth round this past June.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds that it will be a “2-for-2" swap involving one “lesser” major league pitcher and one minor leaguer from each organization. Murray says the trade is “in place,” so the other names should be revealed soon, though it sounds like it will be a relatively insignificant transaction in the end. Hannah, 23, slashed .274/.339/.369 with two homers and eight steals in 110 games of High-A ball in 2019.

According to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds will pay $2.1 million of Roark’s remaining $3.3 million salary. Hannah is a nice get for a mid-rotation starter who is due to hit free agency this offseason. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of the Reds last year and has put up a .282/.343/.382 batting line through 115 pro games. The power has yet to show up, but he can hit and run while playing quality defense in center field.

All four hits were singles. Hannah, 21, was the 50th pick of the 2018 draft out of Dallas Baptist, and he just might have been a steal for the A’s. He makes hard contact to all parts of the field, and while he’s never going to put up elite power numbers, he’s strong enough to project 15-to-20 homers in his best seasons. He’s only an average runner, but he could give a decent number of steals because he reads pitchers well. He’s also a quality defender, so he should move quickly through the system as long as the bat also allows him to do so. Don’t be surprised if Hannah is an everyday player for the A’s by the end of the 2021 campaign.

Hannah is a divisive prospect, but the A’s must like what they’re seeing to snag him with the 50th overall selection. He’s a plus runner who can steal bases and play solid defense in the outfield. He also has quality bat speed, but will need to make some swing adjustments to hit for average and/or power at the highest level.