MLB Trade Shock: Oakland Athletics Put Themselves In To World Series Contention After Landing

The Oakland Athletics have been getting better and better over the past few years, and despite years of spending little to nothing, they've proven they're ready to compete with the best of the MLB both on and off the field. The A's made the first big trade of 2014, creating the biggest of Fouth of July fireworks. They landed two starting pitchers from the Chicago Cubs, giving them one of the best prospects in baseball in return, showing they want to win now, not tomorrow. They landed Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.

To land the duo they traded shortstop prospect Addison Russell, who many believe will be a great player, one day. They added other parts to the deal, but the main information worth noting for fans was this: One top prospect for two top players that can help them compete with the best in the MLB right now. The A's, and others, now firmly believe a World Series win could be on the cards.

Could this be one of the smartest baseball moves of all-time? It came as a surprise, and no rumours surfaced prior to the deal. The A's have been dominant this season, but after a sticky patch it seems like they believed they had to make a move before anybody else got the chance to do so.

In completing this trade they now have a pitching rotation to match the impressive one owned by the Detroit Tigers. Which of these two teams would get the better of one another if they were to meet in the MLB playoffs tomorrow?