A’s acquire C John Jaso from Seattle in three-team deal

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland A’s acquired catcher John Jaso from the Seattle Mariners in a three-team trade, the club announced today.  The A’s sent minor league right-handed pitchers A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen and a player to be named later to Washington and the Nationals dealt outfielder Michael Morse to Seattle.  To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment.

Jaso batted .276 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 108 games with Seattle last year.  He also walked 56 times for a .394 on-base percentage and batted .378 with runners in scoring position.  The 29-year-old left-handed hitter had career highs in batting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage (.456), home runs, RBI and stolen bases (5).  Jaso made his Major League debut with Tampa Bay in 2008 and spent three seasons with the Rays (2008, 10-11) before he was traded to Seattle following the 2011 season.  He is a .255 career hitter in 311 games.

Cole combined for a 6-10 record and a 3.70 ERA in 27 starts with the A’s two Single-A affiliates last year.  After starting the year by going 0-7 with a 7.82 ERA in eight starts with Stockton, he was transferred to Burlington where he was 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA in 19 starts.  Cole was acquired by the A’s from Washington Dec. 23, 2011 in the Gio Gonzalez trade.

Treinen spent the entire 2012 season at Single-A Stockton where he was 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 24 games, including 15 starts.  He struck out 92 and walked 23 while allowing a .278 opponents batting average.  The 24-year-old was originally drafted by Oakland in the seventh round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Kottaras was acquired from Milwaukee July 29, 2012 and batted .212 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 27 games with the A’s last year after hitting .209 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 58 games with the Brewers.  He had a .211 average in 85 games overall.