Giants might be ideal for A’s trade
You’ve buckled into this strange season, maybe even settled in. Now it’s time to get a little unsettled.
We’re two weeks from the Aug. 31 trade deadline, and the Oakland A’s — with the best record in baseball and comfortably in first place atop the AL West — should be active.
Odd 2020 season included, the A’s contention window is officially open. Starting in the 2022 season the A’s young core will start to hit their final years of arbitration — Chad Pinder, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman chief among them. If the A’s want to capitalize with their cost effective, talented roster, they’d be smart to add pieces that could turbo charge a postseason run toward their first World Series title in more than 30 years.
With most MLB teams still very much in postseason con
tention, the Bay Bridge series provided the A’s brass a convenient peak at getable trade targets from a last place, flailing San Francisco Giants team. The Giants could use a prospect or two for their burgeoning farm system, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi goes way back with A’s execs Billy Beane and David Forst. And, we know they’ve been chatting.
Burch Smith’s move to Oakland from San Francisco this February marked the first time since 1990 the rival Clubs made a transaction. Smith is currently on the 10-day IL.
So, what other corners within the Giants’ roster can the A’s explore?
With slow starts from Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers, as well as lack of experience from top arms in Jesús Luzardo and Frankie Montas, the A’s might may scour the Giants’ pitcher yard sale.
Their options within the Giants’ pool of starters ranges in risks and rewards. The A’s could lose beloved prospects for minimal contributions in a transaction for an impending free agent. But, for an expensive veteran under contract for extended time, they run the risk of spending big on an arm that may be running out of gas.
But, the positives are hard to ignore. So, let’s take a look.
RHP KEVIN GAUSMAN » 4.21 ERA, 34 K, 5 BB: The Giants signed 29-year-old Gausman to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. If the A’s are looking for a rotation rental (and, the rental would be shorter than in a typical season) that could come on
San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto works against the Oakland A’s in the first inning Friday in San Francisco. the cheap, Gausman might be the guy.
The right-hander spent most of his early career with the Baltimore Orioles, including a 2014 postseason trip in which he pitched out of the bullpen.
A high-90s fastball with movement, a filthy splitter and a slider he’s been able to up the vertical movement by 1.5 degrees yearover-year are standout pitches in Guasman’s repertoire. This season, he’s put together a standout five games that includes a 4.7 BB%, which ranks in the league’s top 10 percentile. The break on his fastball and splitter are well above league average, too.
The A’s may not have to dig too deep into the prospect pool to get him, either. The A’s farm is clogged at the top with MLB-ready talent without a clear path to the everyday roles they might deserve. Perhaps a Franklin Barreto, Dustin Fowler, Sheldon Neusetype or high-ceiling players/prospects of that caliber and a lower-level prospect could be part of a package.
The downside: The price they’d pay would only ensure a handful of Gausman starts in the green and gold. Could they make a run to re-sign him should results pan out? Of course. But, the A’s may find the price, though not hefty, unworthy when their options in-house are promising still.
RHP JOHNNY CUETO » 4.62 ERA, 19 K, 11 BB: Johnny Cueto is a veteran pitcher with a new elbow, dominant stuff, and a contract the Giants would be happy to unload to a contending team. From a baseball standpoint, Cueto would be a perfect match for the A’s.
The 34-year-old can provide veteran experience — he helped guide the Kansas City Royals to a World Series win after a midseason trade from Cincinnati. Even a year removed from Tommy John surgery, Cueto can still dominate a tough lineup. The A’s experienced it themselves when Cueto ran through Oakland’s potent lineup, allowing one hit through his first six innings. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a Hunter Pence defensive gaffe blemished a no-hitter he’d been riding through five innings.
That Cueto is under contract for at least another season may be the upside to gunning for the All-Star right-hander. Though, one issue running against the the A’s is the weight of Cueto’s contract.
In a transaction with a willing trade partner, the Giants are probably expecting
to eat a hefty chunk of the large contract Cueto signed in 2016. At the tailend of the six-year deal, Cueto is owed $21 million in 2021 and approximately $7 million pro-rated this season with a $5 million buyout of a $22 million club option in 2022.
The A’s have the prospects to offer up for a talent of Cueto’s caliber if the Giants are willing (and, we know they’re able) to eat a majority of that money. But, would the A’s be willing to part with some of their best young talent for two years of Cueto? Other teams eyeing him might be willing to pay more of that owed money — for fewer prospects — than the A’s could even imagine offering up. LHP RELIEVER TONY WATSON » 1.59 ERA, 4 K, 1 BB: A’s reliever Smith hit a huge bump in his breakout 2020 season. A forearm strain he incurred against the Giants on Saturday has no ligament damage, per manager Bob Melvin, which is good news for the righty who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. He won’t pick up a baseball for at least two weeks, and there’s a chance he misses the rest of the season.
The A’s might be in the market for a veteran reliever, too.
Which brings Watson into the picture. The lefthander started the 2020 season coping with a shoulder injury but returned to the mound. The 35-year-old has allowed one earned run in 5.9 innings.
Similar to Smith, Watson has an above-average fastball spin rate and generates weak contact, an A’s dream. On the last year of his contract with the Giants — owed the pro-rated $1.1 million — Watson could be the perfect veteran rental for the A’s to pick up at a low prospect cost.