Sean Doolittle Drawing Interest; Giants Looking At Josh Reddick

The Athletics have fallen 11 games under .500 and seem in position to sell, with several appealing pieces to shop. Among them are lefty reliever Sean Doolittle and outfielder Josh Reddick, both of whom have drawn interest according to recent reports.

Doolittle is getting hits from around the game, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who also argues in the linked post that the team should hold its core pieces. That’s no surprise given Doolittle’s blistering heater, not to mention the cheap contract he’s playing under. With many contenders in need of power relievers, he’d surely be one of the more actively-pursued players on the market. In MLBTR’s latest list of the top trade candidates in baseball, Doolittle rated 9th.

Meanwhile, Reddick has received at least some internal consideration from the Giants, according to Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area. The possibility of a cross-bay match was raised earlier today by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, citing a scout. It’s not entirely clear how focused the club is on the veteran outfielder, as Stiglich says only that he’s “on a lengthy preliminary list of … potential trade targets.” San Francisco has been rumored to have interest in upgrades at a number of positions, with the corner outfield one such area.

Reddick, of course, is still working his way back from a fractured thumb, but he’s set to be activated tomorrow, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter). He’ll be looking to continue an impressive start to the year, in which he slashed .322/.394/.466 over 165 plate appearances. We’ve also heard ongoing talk that an extension could still be considered between the sides, though, and that would obviously take him out of trade consideration.

It remains to be seen what approach Oakland will take at the deadline. While there are signals that the organization is holding out hope for a bounceback, time is getting short. Even in a sale scenario, though, it’s possible to imagine a variety of approaches. As Rosenthal argues, a limited sell-off might see a few short-term veterans depart — Rich Hill and Danny Valencia are, perhaps, the prime candidates — with players such as Doolittle, Sonny Gray, Stephen Vogt, and even Reddick staying put. But it’s certainly possible to imagine a more dramatic rebuild.