Chris Coghlan to Cubs for Arismendy Alcantara: Latest Trade Details, Reaction

Roughly four months after trading him to the Oakland Athletics, the Chicago Cubs have brought back veteran utility man Chris Coghlan. 

The A's announced on their official Twitter account Thursday that they traded Coghlan to the Cubs in exchange for Arismendy Alcantara.     

Coghlan struggled in 51 games with the Athletics this year, posting a .146/.215/.272 slash line with five home runs.

Going back to Chicago could be the best thing for the 30-year-old's career. He played with the Cubs from 2014 to 2015 and had the best two-year run of his career. He also played a career-high 148 games last year, helping the Cubs reach the National League Championship Series.

Seasons	AVG	OBP	SLG	WAR
2009-13 (with Marlins)	.270	.337	.390	1.4
2014-15 (with Cubs)	.265	.346	.447	5.7

Despite Coghlan's success, Chicago's outfield depth made it difficult to justify keeping him around. Chicago dealt him to Oakland in February for right-handed pitcher Aaron Brooks, which in turn allowed the Cubs to re-sign Dexter Fowler.

The Cubs also had Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler in the outfield mix. That depth has served them well so far this year, as Schwarber suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first week of the season, and the team placed Soler on the disabled list earlier this week with a hamstring injury. 

On Thursday, ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers noted Chicago also placed utility man Tommy La Stella on the DL with a hamstring strain.

Kris Bryant has played in left field with Schwarber out and Soler struggling before his injury, but the addition of Coghlan will allow manager Joe Maddon to move Bryant back to his natural position at third base on a regular basis. 

Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet California likes what the deal could mean for the Athletics:

The A's are hoping to turn Alcantara's career around. He was once a highly regarded prospect in the Cubs system, with MLB.com ranking him as the organization's eighth-best prospect in 2013.  

In 81 MLB games, however, Alcantara has not put things together. He has a .194/.252/.342 slash line in 304 career at-bats. He's just 24 years old and was hitting a respectable .264/.315/.437 in Triple-A Iowa before the deal, though.

It's a low-risk deal for both sides. The Cubs acquired an outfielder they know well who can fill out their roster while they wait for injured players to return. The struggling A's got a young player who can play without the pressure of having to perform immediately or be at risk of losing his spot.