Jays deal Barreto, other prospects to A's

In the late hours of Black Friday, the Oakland A's went to the market.

General manager Billy Beane traded All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for elite infield prospect Franklin Barreto, pitchers Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman and big league third baseman Brett Lawrie.

Barreto is now the A's No. 3 prospect, Nolin becomes No. 9 and Graveman No. 14.

"We wouldn't have done it unless all four of these guys were in the deal, and each guy represents sort of a need, some of them immediate," Beane told MLB.com. "We wouldn't have done the deal unless it addressed now and the future, and we were able to do that.

"We lost a lot of Minor League capital in the last couple of years trying to give this current group as good a chance as we possibly could, and now looking forward, I think we also have to be cognizant of the next couple of years," he added. "This deal, in our minds, addresses a little bit of everything."

Barreto, who turns 19 in February, batted .311 with a .384 on-base percentage and 33 extra-base hits in 73 games for Short-Season Vancouver. The Canadians reached the Northwest League Championship Series and Barreto -- formerly ranked eighth among Blue Jays prospects -- posted a .913 fielding percentage as their shortstop, though he could move to second base or the outfield as he matures.

Nolin, 24, went 4-6 with a 3.50 ERA over 87 1/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo. Previously ranked 12th among Toronto prospects, he made two rehab starts with Class A Advanced Dunedin and one in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League after straining his left groin in July. The Long Island native pitched an inning of relief for the Blue Jays in September, then reported to the Arizona Fall League, where he was 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in seven starts.

Graveman, selected in the eighth round of the 2013 Draft out of Mississippi State, started this season at Class A Lansing and ended it in the Majors. In between, he pitched for Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire and Buffalo, producing a 3-2 record, 1.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts against five walks in six International League starts. In five relief appearances for the Blue Jays in September, the 23-year-old Alabama native posted a 3.86 ERA.

Lawrie, 24, spent much of the season on the disabled list with a fractured finger and a strained oblique muscle, but he hit .247 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 70 games for Toronto.

Donaldson, 28, tied for ninth in the American League with 29 homers and ranked 10th with 98 RBIs while playing 158 games in 2014. He batted .255 and made the first All-Star Game appearance of his three-year big league career.