The Oakland Athletics traded veteran catcher Jason Kendall to the Chicago Cubs yesterday and moved rookie Kurt Suzuki of Maui into the starting lineup.

Suzuki, who joined the A's earlier this season, is a Baldwin High alum. He went 0 for 3 including a walk in yesterday's 4-1 loss to Texas.

"We've always been an organization that's given young guys a chance, and we think Kurt deserves a chance right now," A's general manager Billy Beane told MLB.com.

Coming into the game, Suzuki was hitting .269 with two homers and four RBI.

"It's just a matter of getting comfortable now," Suzuki said. "The more games I play, the more comfortable I'll be. I'm looking forward to it and happy to be playing every day."

Kendall was traded for catcher Rob Bowen and minor league pitcher Jerry Blevins.

A .298 career hitter in 12 major league seasons with Pittsburgh and Oakland, Kendall was batting only .226 for the A's this season with two homers and 22 RBIs.

He was a three-time All-Star with the Pirates and is known for his ability to get on base. He has more walks than strikeouts during his career.

Last month, the A's announced Mike Piazza would be a catcher again once he recovers from a shoulder injury — so he could be Suzuki's backup while also doing some work as designated hitter. Kendall has caught at least 143 games in each of the past seven seasons and 150 or more in four of those years.

"To sort of not acknowledge Jason's impact on the pitching staff, it'd be foolish to say," Beane added. "The pitchers will tell you, the coaching staff will tell you. But that's something that's learned anyways and that's part of becoming a major league and part of the process for Kurt."

A's closer Huston Street said he was saddened to see Kendall go. "He's a tough guy to lose. That was our rock right there," Street said. "Organizations have transitions. Unfortunately for a lot of us who trusted him, it's going to be a big transition."

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Kendall would try to join the team for today's home game against the Giants.

www.MLB.com and Associated Press contributed to this report.