Who can the A’s target in a trade?
Plus, evaluating Oakland’s most likely All-Star Game reps
@enterthemexican on Twitter asks: Who do the A’s pickup before the trade deadline? I want at least two quality arms for the ‘pen.
The Oakland A’s are in first place in the American League West, just a handful of games in front of the Houston Astros.
The season’s second half is fast approaching, and that means trade deadline buzz, the All-Star break and a period to reflect on what the A’s have accomplished and what could make them stronger heading into the hot summer and fall.
You all had questions on Twitter and Instagram about the state of the A’s. Here are some answers.
Expect the A’s to target some arms to bolster the bullpen — when aren’t they targeting pitchers at the deadline? There are plenty of teams that the A’s could pluck from: The Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles could be among the selling teams at the deadline with some bullpen arms on the market.
The Rockies are in disarray and could flip team-controlled pitchers such as Tyler Kinley or Yency Almonte. Almonte’s 84.7 average exit velocity ranks among the top 2 percent in baseball and his 27.4 percent hard-hit rate ranks in the top 4 percent, though his 16% walk rate is concerning. But the A’s like pitchers who can draw weak contact.
Kinley has a 13.2% walk rate and 32% walk rate. He’s coming off a 2020 season in which he had a .182 expected batting average and 29% hard-hit rate, both among the top 10 percent in baseball.
Elvis Andrus has taken off at the plate, so the A’s aren’t in need of a shortstop. But if the Rockies are selling — why not gun for Trevor Story?
The A’s could also explore a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez, whose 2.9 barrel rate and .185 expected batting average are indications that the contact he generates is workable. They could also explore a trade for Pittsburgh reliever Sam Howard, who has a .174 expected batting average.
From the Mariners, the
A’s could seek a reunion with starter-turned-reliever Kendall Graveman, who has allowed all of two earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with a dominant sinker, slider and changeup mix post-Tommy John surgery. But returns could be hefty and the Mariners may balk at an intra-division trade.
@janinemariececi on Twitter asks: Who has the best chance of making the All-Star team realistically?
Early voting returns has Matt Olson seventh among qualified first basemen in fan voting. Olson’s .977 OPS ranks second in the entire American League, his 18
home runs rank third behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. He’s batting .292 with 48 RBIs and is still impressive defensively at first base. If the voters don’t have him, I’m almost certain coaches and players will elect him as a reserve.
Ramón Laureano, back from his hip strain, is also an option to make the team. With a .844 OPS, .379 OPB and .255 average, Mark Canha is among the top producers in the outfield pool. So are starters Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt, given their 2.99 and 3.43 ERAs, both ranking among the league’s top 10.
The A’s are a first-place team with plenty of players who deserve All-Star recognition.
@Mcolesports510 on IG asks: Plans for Luzardo to go back to rotation? Concerns about his recent appearances (HRs allowed)?
No immediate plans to get Luzardo back in the rotation are in place. Once he returned from the injured list (pinky fracture), the plan was to possibly stretch Luzardo out in the bullpen. He’s been dominant at times, but has lately fallen victim to the home run — he’s allowed five in his last four appearances.
While he has electric offspeed offerings and fastball, he’s still tangled in a big-league learning curve.