Oakland A’s acquire Alberto Callaspo from Angels

Of all the trades that may or may not take place around baseball’s July 31st trade deadline, Alberto Callaspo being moved from Los Angeles to Oakland probably doesn’t move the needle in a big way. However, it could have a legitimate impact on both teams involved in making the swap.

The Angels sent Callaspo, a versatile infielder, to Oakland in exchange for infield prospect and former 2009 1st-round pick Grante Green.

On the Oakland side, this move is about solidifying their infield as they push toward the playoffs. Callaspo is a career .273/.334/.380 hitter over 3,062 career plate appearances, and while those numbers aren’t exactly earth-shattering, they can be valuable in a pinch. He is reportedly expected to platoon with Eric Sogard at 2nd base for the A’s, and with Oakland pushing toward October with a 6-game lead in the AL West, they are looking to push through this season.

For the Angels, this may be a “punt” move on 2013. After huge preseason expectations, Los Angeles sits 14 games out of the AL West lead (behind Oakland, ironically) and they don’t exactly have pieces that scream “sell” on their roster. Grabbing a potentially solid bat like Green is a decent haul for Callaspo, and it’s a clear look toward the future.

In the grand scheme, this trade probably won’t be the solitary move that pushes Oakland over the top. However, grabbing projectable veterans isn’t a bad strategy for planning toward October, and Billy Beane is all-in.