CHICAGO — The Oakland Athletics acquired slugger Adam Dunn from the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, hoping to boost their lineup for the final stretch.
The White Sox also sent cash to Oakland while acquiring minor league pitcher Nolan Sanburn.
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Second in the AL West, the Athletics were looking to add a hitter after trading Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox for starter Jon Lester before the July 31 nonwaiver deadline.
Dunn has 460 career homers. But he struggled in four seasons with the White Sox.
He has an expiring contract and could retire. The trade gives Dunn, who’s batting .220 with 20 homers and 54 RBI, a chance to do something he has never done – reach the playoffs.
“I think this is just an opportunity for him that he should’ve taken,” Manager Robin Ventura said. “It came about and you talk to him about it, you’re happy that he gets a chance to go do this. I think even if he does happen to hang it up after this year, he’ll at least get a shot at doing this.”
The White Sox envisioned making playoff runs when they signed him to a four-year, $56 million contract in December 2010. Dunn was coming off back-to-back 38-homer seasons with Washington but the plan didn’t unfold as envisioned.
Dunn’s first season in Chicago was brutal. His average dropped more than 100 points to .159 while he hit just 11 homers in 2011, and he never really lived up to expectations after that.
He became a lightning rod for fans with his high strikeout totals, finishing one shy of the record with 222 in 2012, but he remained popular in the clubhouse.
“Some people like to lump it all together,” Paul Konerko said. “We know the first year was a rough year, but if you look at a lot of his time here, he kind of did what he was supposed to be doing.”
General Manager Rick Hahn said the White Sox started to zero in on the Oakland deal on Saturday. He discussed the possibility with Dunn, and the veteran waived his no-trade clause.
“This deal, we feel real good about Sanburn,” Hahn said. “He’s a young power arm with good pitch ability and good secondary pitches.”
He said Sanburn will likely start next season in Double-A. As for Dunn’s time in Chicago?
“Obviously, we were both disappointed that we didn’t accomplish on the field what we had hoped when the deal was originally signed four years ago,” Hahn said. “He was brought here as part of a plan to help us win championships in that window, and it didn’t happen. From that standpoint, I think we’re all disappointed. From the clubhouse standpoint, he was outstanding.”
Along with Dunn, the White Sox have traded away second baseman Gordon Beckham and outfielder Alejandro De Aza in the past week and a half.
They also called up first baseman Andy Wilkins and Scott Snodgress from Triple-A Charlotte and reinstated outfielder Moises Sierra from the 15-day disabled list.
Wilkins, who had 30 home runs and 85 RBIs for Charlotte, started at first base on Sunday.
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