If Lowrie leaves, LeMahieu could be answer for A’s
LAS VEGAS — The A’s pursuit of Jed Lowrie continues. But if the second baseman commands too much in free agency, the team is working on a backup plan.
According to an industry source, Oakland has expressed interest in free agent DJ LeMahieu, a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner with the Rockies who, at 30, is four years younger than Lowrie and who might be easier to sign to a deal of a year or two. MLBTradeRumors.com estimated that he might get two years and $18 million as a free agent.
LeMahieu, however, is, like top infield prosLAS
pect Franklin Barreto, a righthanded hitter; Oakland general manager David Forst spoke last week about the possibility of finding a platoon partner for Barreto, but LeMahieu would not be that — he hit .249 against right-handed pitchers last year, .330 against left-handers.
Should the A’s sign LeMahieu or another right-handedhitting second baseman, Barreto could become trade fodder in Oakland’s quest for starting pitching. And with the A’s calling on LeMahieu, it’s likely they’ve checked on most of the other available freeagent second basemen, a lengthy list that includes Daniel Murphy, Brian Dozier and Ian Kinsler.
Barreto also can play shortstop and in the outfield, as Forst mentioned Monday during a meeting with reporters, so he could slide to a different position should Oakland add a full-time second baseman. “He’s played other places,” Forst said. “That’s always been part of the conversation with Franklin.”
Forst said that Oakland also was exploring trades for the A’s other areas of need, including second base, and according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, Cincinnati might make second baseman Scooter Gennett available.
Gennett, if he doesn’t cost too much in top prospects, could be an intriguing option. He’s a left-handed hitter, he’s 28, and he has one year remaining of service time at about $10 million, which would be approximately what Lowrie might cost per year, but Lowrie would be on a much longer deal. Gennett is also one of designated hitter Khris Davis’ best friends from their time in Milwaukee.
Lowrie had a career year with Oakland last season, hitting .267 with 23 homers and 99 RBIs and making his first All-Star team. He also was a Gold Glove finalist at second base. MLBTradeRumors estimates he will get three years and $30 million this offseason.
Oakland will add a catcher this winter, and the frontrunner might be the incumbent, Jonathan Lucroy, who is a free agent. At issue is the dollar amount — Lucroy would do a one-year deal, but the A’s are offering less than $5 million, and for one year, Lucroy is looking for a bigger salary, sources told The Chronicle. Other teams have expressed interest in him.
The A’s remain on the hunt for three or four starters, but Forst said that Andrew Triggs (thoracic-outlet surgery), Paul Blackburn (forearm, wrist) and Grant Holmes (shoulder) should be ready for spring training, and Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and No. 1 prospect Jesus Luzardo are also in the mix for rotation spots. James Kaprielian (Tommy John surgery, shoulder) also will be ready for the spring but hasn’t pitched in two years, so is ticketed for a minor-league assignment.
Forst said that Oakland continues to want to explore a potential extension with Davis, but the current focus is answering the many roster questions.
“This week, this month, we have holes in the 2019 roster we’re working on,” Forst said. “But not that much time has passed since the last time I talked to Khris’ representative, so it’s constant.” Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser