After exercising his right to demand a trade because of lack of playing time, he was traded along with Henry Cotto, Rich Bordi and Porfi Altamirano from the Cubs to the Yankees for Ray Fontenot and Brian Dayett at the Winter Meetings on December 4, 1984. While with the Oakland Athletics he was known for almost exclusively catching all of starting pitcher Bob Welch's games, most notably during the 1990 season in which Welch won 27 games and earned the Cy Young Award trophy. On July 28, 1991, he caught Dennis Martínez's perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This sequence of events led to his request for a trade due to insufficient playing time, which ultimately resulted in him being traded along with Henry Cotto, Rich Bordi, and Porfi Altamirano from the Cubs to the Yankees in exchange for Ray Fontenot and Brian Dayett at the Winter Meetings on December 4, 1984. During his tenure with the Oakland Athletics, he gained recognition for consistently catching Bob Welch's starts, particularly during the 1990 season when Welch achieved a remarkable 27-win campaign and earned the Cy Young Award. Notably, on July 28, 1991, he was the one behind the plate when Dennis Martínez pitched a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.