The Oakland Athletics just took a care of a huge potential weak spot:

The A’s pulled the trigger on the ultimate blockbuster Friday evening, acquiring Cubs starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for two first-round Draft picks in Addison Russell and Billy McKinney to kick off the trading season.

Oakland also packaged its best Triple-A starter, Dan Straily, in the deal, as confirmed by MLB.com, and Chicago will also reportedly be receiving another player to be named later.

Neither club has confirmed the trade, which was first reported by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, and the A’s aren’t expected to make it official until Saturday.

Oakland allowed the second fewest runs per game in the AL, making the pitching staff look like a strength. They have gotten a lot out of second line pitching, as some of their best starters went down with injuries during the spring. Add Drew Pomeranz to the mix, who performed well, and Oakland was going to be counting on good but not great pitchers like Tommy Milone and Brad Mills, or the still developing Dan Straily.

With Samardzija and Hammel, the Cubs get two front line starters having great years. Now, Jesse Chavez is their #5 starter, and Chavez is having a great season. This trade not only increases the chance of the Athletics going to the play offs, but it increases the chance of home field advantage, and every game in the playoffs being pitched by a potential ace. Oakland is going all-in to win the World Series, and it’s good to see.

The Cubs, of course, restock their system. Straily owns great minor league numbers, but hasn’t performed at the MLB level yet. Russell is tearing up the minor leagues with his bat, and plays short. McKinny is a 19-year-old outfielder with a great bat rising quickly. If both those players make the majors by age 22, the Cubs will have a nice core of young, hard hitting players. It’s a perfect now for the future trade!