Khris Davis was born in California and attended powerhouse Cal State Fullerton.
So the 28-year-old was excited when he found out he had been traded to the A's on Friday.
"I was sitting in L.A. traffic, loving it. My agent called me and said, ‘You’re going to Oakland,’ and I was like, ‘I’m in Cali right now. Right time, right place.’" Davis told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal on Tuesday.
"It just kind of felt like it was right. I don’t believe in coicindences. It was definitely a sign," Davis said.
The A's traded catcher Jacob Nottingham and pitcher Bubby Derby, their No. 11 and 12 prospects according to Baseball America, for four years of control of Davis. Oakland also designated lefty Sean Nolin for assignment to make room for Davis on the 40-man roster.
Hours after announcing the trade on Friday, A's general manager David Forst told the media that the team expects Davis to be the everyday left fielder.
“We expect Khris to be in left field, but Coco is healthy right now which is great,” Forst said. “There’s a lot of ways Coco would help us. He can play center, DH. There’s still at-bats to be had in LF. If Coco is in fact healthy on Opening Day, there’s a lot of ways he can help us.”
Davis said he heard those remarks from his new GM.
"I read something about them giving me the first look (in left). But I’ve got to earn something. I’m not looking for a handout over here. By no means am I that type of person," Davis told the newspaper.
"There’s going to be a learning curve, but I’m excited to just go there and start and see the West Coast and be a basher and just crush it," Davis continued.
Davis brings 60 home runs over three seasons to the middle of the A's lineup. He clubbed 27 long balls in 121 games in 2015.
Forst spoke about the excitement of adding Davis' bat.
“We talk about right-handed power here every year, and Khris adds that,” Forst said on Friday. “We look forward to having Danny (Valencia) here for a full year, because he added that for a couple months last year, and we fully expect Billy (Butler) to bounce back. So you’ve got the making of a really good middle of the lineup right now and a chance to have some power.”
Forst and the A's will get their first look at Davis next week when position players report to camp in Mesa, Ariz.
