The Oakland Athletics' reacquisition of Jed Lowrie seemed to spell the end of the tenure of Brett Lawrie in Oakland, but it's still somewhat surprising of how light the return was given Lawrie's history as a first-round pick and highly rated prospect.

So Brett Lawrie has been not very good for two years running now, with a .256/.300/.412 line between his injury-shortened 2014 season and his one full year in the cavernous confines of Oakland and declining value on defense. Lawrie turns 26 in January and is at an age when he should be entering his offensive peak, but is now heading to his fourth organization since he was drafted in 2008 with no sign of a new level of production.

Lawrie's swing results in him putting the ball on the ground far too often for a guy of his size and potential power, and he has become substantially less disciplined with more major league experience. I'd say he's a player in need of a change of scenery, but we've already tried that; he's in need of an overhaul of almost every aspect of his game, from his swing to his approach even to aspects of his character, like moderating his intensity on the field. I understand why the White Sox -- who haven’t had a reliable option at third in years -- would want to take a shot on fixing Lawrie, but they have to realize the odds are against them.

In return, the A's got so little back for the highly touted Lawrie -- after he was a key piece of the trade that sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto -- that I wonder if something beyond mere disappointment in his performance drove the deal. Lefty Zack Erwin was Chicago's fourth-round pick in June, a 6-foot-5 starter out of Clemson who has been clocked up to 95 mph as the White Sox have worked to raise his arm slot and get him to make better use of his height and his lower half. He throws strikes but could use a solid-average second pitch, likely his curveball. Right-hander J.B. Wendelken is a fringe reliever, throwing 89-92 mph with an above-average changeup and below-average slider, but with good control despite an ugly delivery; he could surface in Oakland's bullpen this year.

The move leaves shortstop Franklin Barreto as the only player with a significant chance for Oakland to show a significant return for trading away four years of Donaldson, which has to be a disheartening outcome given how good Donaldson was for Toronto this past year.