The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics traded outfielders on Saturday afternoon, with the Royals acquiring veteran Billy Burns in exchange for rookie Brett Eibner.
The 26-year-old Burns had played in the major leagues with Oakland over the past three seasons, hitting .234 this season with 11 doubles, 4 triples, and 14 stolen bases in 74 games. The 14 stolen bases are the eighth-highest total in the American League. Burns was optioned to Class AAA Nashville on July 15th, the result of a disappointing season that followed a 2015 campaign that saw Burns finish fifth in the Rookie of the Year balloting. He debuted with Oakland in 2014 after being acquired from Washington.
Burns will be assigned to the Royals Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, while Eibner, who was recently demoted by Kansas City, will head to Nashville to play with the Sounds.
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