The Oakland Athletics were in a tough spot heading into July in 2014. They were desperately attempting to hold on to a playoff berth, let alone the AL West lead, as the Angels were beginning to hit their stride. Injuries had hit the rotation, leaving Oakland in need of proven arms for their postsesaon push.
On July 5, the A’s made a deal. Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija were shipped to Oakland, with Dan Straily, Billy McKinney, and Addison Russell heading back to Chicago. While McKinney and Straily were solid prospects in their own right, the prize of the trade was Russell, a consensus top 15 prospect heading into the season.