The Athletics swung a notable trade this past weekend, sending right-hander Jharel Cotton to the Cubs. But that may not be the last near-term trade the A’s make, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link) reports the team’s “discussing” moves involving reliever Blake Treinen, infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar and catcher Josh Phegley. Barring trades, they could all be non-tender candidates for low-budget Oakland, which is projected to owe Treinen $7.8MM, Profar $5.8MM and Phegley $2.2MM in 2020.
Whether there’s an appealing piece here is up for debate, but Treinen’s just a year removed from enjoying one of the best seasons in the history of relievers. Treinen posted an eye-popping 0.78 ERA across 80 1/3 innings in 2018, but just about everything went backward for him in 2019. While the 31-year-old continued to throw in the 97 to 98 mph range, his strikeout rate fell from 11.2 per nine to 9.05, his walk rate skyrocketed from 2.35 to 5.68, his groundball percentage dropped from 51.9 to 42.8, and his home run-to-fly ball percentage shot from 4.4 to 16.4. All of that helped lead to a 4.91 ERA/5.14 FIP during an injury-shortened, 58 2/3-inning effort for Treinen, who lost his closer role to Liam Hendriks and whose days with the A’s are likely over as he approaches his final season of arbitration control.
The switch-hitting Profar, 26, was supposed to solidify second base in 2019 for Oakland, which acquired him from division-rival Texas in a high-profile trade last winter. Instead, though, Profar batted a mere .218/.301/.410 in 518 plate appearances. Even though Profar did slug 20 home runs, this past season still went down as yet another disappointing campaign for a player who was once an elite prospect.
Phegley, 31, recorded yet another underwhelming offensive season in 2019, as he hit just .239/.282/.411 with 12 homers in 342 trips to the plate. The right-handed Phegley did, however, slash a strong .284/.320/.526 in 103 PA versus lefties, continuing a career-long run of managing respectable production against southpaws. Defensively, Phegley was a mixed bag, as he threw out 32 percent of would-be base-stealers (league average was 27 percent) but finished dead last in the majors in Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric.
In the cases of Treinen and Phegley, the Athletics are well-equipped to move on even if it means non-tendering the two. The team has Hendriks, Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria and Ryan Buchter among its top late-game possibilities in the bullpen. It also boasts highly promising youngster Sean Murphy as its No. 1 choice behind the plate. But there’s less certainty at second, where Chad Pinder, Sheldon Neuse, Franklin Barreto and prospect Jorge Mateo comprise a largely unproven group of options. Of course, should the A’s part with Profar, they could sign one of the many veteran second basemen on the open market to take his place.
Why was low budget even mentioned here? Literally every team would nontender these guys if they were in the business of trying to get better, so it wasn’t even worth mentioning that, beyond some petty potshot at how poor the A’s are. The very fact that Rosenthal wrote in his article that trading Cotton was for SALARY relief is insulting.
The team is competitive, and those three weren’t really part of that last season. The A’s could and should do better, that’s really all there is to it. The money we would pay them would go to better options on the market.
Because Blake Treinen was dominate for the A’s in 2018, when they were also competitive. A lot of teams would be willing to pay him around $8m for another season hoping that he returned to his 2018 form and anchored their bullpen again.
However the “low budget” A’s are not a team that can necessarily afford that luxury and spend that much on “hoping” he returns to form.
So yes “low budget” should be used to describe the situation with Treinen. Not as an insult to the A’s; but that they, like the Rays, seem to find the best value for their dollar.
So, are the yankees a low budget team because they dont want to pay ellsbury?
I wish I could post that gif of the stick figure dude with *the point* going over his head.
Comparing Ellsbury to Treinen lol. Good lord I wish I was that blissfully ignorant.
8 million for a reliever that had one good year and now walks 5.5 per 9? Nope.
The walks will diminish his value to very little.
So what you’re saying is we should stop being low budget and pay a struggling player. Okay.
@athleticsnchill
I am NOT saying they should pay him. I am saying that there are likely several teams that would pay him “hoping” to get the 2018 production out of him again.
I also said that it is NOT an insult to call the A’s a “low budget” team. I actually gave them props saying that they, like the Rays, get the best value for their dollar.
I agree with ya completely man. It seems like the other commenters are being purposefully dense.
It not purposeful, it’s natural born for some. They get on here to trash everyone else because they get bullied in the real world.
Amen
At least that statman clown hasn’t shown up yet.
Profar as well as he is one year removed from having a decent year.
There’s no reason any team should be low-budget except by choice and the A’s have made that choice.
MLB should really expand. That way they can have one franchise completely owned by the fans. It will be great. That way they can watch all these imbeciles who think spending equals winning run the franchise into the ground and they’ll all go bankrupt so everyone intelligent won’t have to read these peoples opinions who have never run businesses or understand baseball.
Better yet the competitive low budget teams are that way because they usually have low attendance.
It’s like a great restaurant with little traffic. The staff works multiple positions to control labor and keep the restaurant profitable
You can be low budget and successful.
Low budget team can’t afford bad contracts. A’s and rays stay away from long term bad contracts. That is why they are successful in the market. bad teams always sign bad contracts with players over the hill or off 1 good season. Look at teams like the O’s and Angels who signed some over the hill players to bad contracts.
The A’s 2020 payroll is projected at $110M. I don’t think “low budget” applies them anymore.
@dclivejazz and why is that, exactly? If you’re about to tell me “owner should just spend money” I need some of whatever it is you’re smoking.
Teams make their own money independent of the owner of the team, and the A’s have struggled to make money for decades because the Coliseum doesn’t draw well, the TV contract isn’t good, and the team doesn’t get much in the way of investors and sponsors because there is simply no visibility out in the middle of East Oakland.
The team is poor, and the owner is doing the right thing in trying to make them not poor. That doesn’t come through payroll. Fans aren’t going to magically start coming to more games because of payroll.
For real, this was a rare bad piece from Rosenthal. They DFA’d Cotton not because he was due for a raise (arb estimate is 800,000), but because they need to get their better players on the 40 man and the only thing appealing to Cotton is that he was a former top prospect. What they did with Cotton is similiar to what the Yankees did with Greg Bird, and nobody batted an eye when the Yankees did that, The A’s are trying to win now, they can’t waste a roster spot on an oft-injured pitcher at this point.
Ironically, at first glance I thought your username was Athletics schil.
LOL. That’s the first time I’ve seen that one. You’re not completely wrong, I can be a shill about certain things. Making this entirely about payroll though, instead about just not being able to justify the risk of going into a new season with players that struggled and that are getting paid more through arbitration salaries than their onfield output, is just a weird take no matter what side you’re looking at this from.
Dodgers Should Trade For Blake Treinen For Ross Stripling And Two Other Prospects And $.
Treinen has very little trade value.
His offer is like for Treinen circa 2018. Stripling is a decent centerpiece for an All-Star closer.
Treinan is a bad contract swap really, only possibly one with another guy that still has some value. JBJ perhaps. problem there is JBJ will be making around 4m more next year and don’t see Oakland taking on salary when they don’t want to pay Treinan to begin with.
Oakland would take on the salary for a gold glove left handed swinging centerfielder, are you kidding? JBJ at least has value, Treinen was bad last year.
That trade proposal is completely lopsided. The article specifically states that Blake Treinen is a possible non-tender candidate. You think the Dodgers would give that much for him? A middling minor prospect is all he is worth right now. The best bet for the A’s would be to hold onto him and see if he can build up some value before the deadline. The problem is that they don’t want to pay him.
Trade for Giles instead.
I second that.
Question. Do A’s fans still consider Mateo a real prospect? He’s 24 and his last two years in the PCL were drastically different. 2018 he posted horrible numbers in a hitter friendly league. In 2019 he posted the kind of numbers you would hope to see from a prospect in the PCL. Is his defense good enough to play SS or CF full-time?
I don’t have as high of hopes for him when they first got him but that speed is always intriguing. I think if he’s gonna stick with the a’s it’ll be at second base, I just hope he’s better than Barreto has been.
He is out of options so its stick trade or DFA.
Mateo will have a better chance with sticking on the roster now that it’s a 26 man roster
I say trade him while you can. The A’s should go for Merrifield. I know KC is, for whatever reason, holding on to him for dear life, but he’s a perfect piece for Oakland. Other than the fact they could use some lefties in their lineup, having a guy like Whit in front of Chapman, Olson, Cahna, and even Davis if he’s right is a pretty scary idea for the AL. Plus he’s paid under $8M for the next few years. Which they can buy out his 2023 season for under $1M.
Oakland has plenty of pieces for Kansas City. Especially in the middle infield seeing as it looks like Semien will be a long term piece as of right now.
Mateo should be the second basemen
Mateo is a good trade chip. he still has produced in the Minors and could provide versatility to a team as a super utility-type
I’m hoping that Chad Pinder gets another shot at starting to see if he can put it together or not.
Thank god the Padres didn’t get Profar. Let’s pass the second time..
Yeah, they’re better off with sticking with Urias, despite his disappointing offensive production, but he will get better as he gets more experience.
This didn’t age well…
Aged even worse. .
Treinen was hurt ALL of last year, including Spring Training. I hope they give him a chance to prove himself again. Murphy/ Heim is a good, young caching duo. Pinder is a keeper because he can play anywhere and has a good enough bat to be in the mix for the starting 2B job. The A’s will be contenders again.
I’d like to see the Red Sox give Treinen a shot – assuming they don’t acquire a more established RP/CL. My first choice would obviously be someone like Yates or something but assuming they don’t make a move like that — I think they should consider a guy like Treinen who has shown in the past he has lights-out ability and the Red Sox could really use someone like that. Alternatively maybe a guy like Betances, hoping for a bounceback from injury? Either way I think the Sox obviously need to improve their bullpen and given their budget constraints and lack of a deep farm system I think taking a risk on a guy like this – who has such a high upside – could be a viable way to go.
I’m thinking the same. Swapping JBJ for Treinen would help both sides but the A’s are looking to shed that contract most likely and not take on an additional 3 million.
Turn it into a 3-way deal so Oakland can shed more salary to accommodate JBJ.
Give us the difference in arbitration for JBJ and call it a straight swap. Oakland would take that.
Boston should take a chance on Treinen. Get him at a discount and hope he bounces back.
I would consider keeping Treinen with an offer at his last years salary and hope for a bounce back. Not sure if DFAhe would get a 1 year offer at 6 million.
Treinen seems like an Eppler special. High Velo guy who needs another look.
I wonder if the A’s and Rockies might come to a deal. Perhaps something along the lines of Wade Davis and Raimel Tapia for Blake Treinen and Khris Davis. Maybe with some added pieces on one side or another. Both Davises could be excellent bounce back candidates in their new environments. Tapia could replace Davis in Oakland and Treinen could probably lead the bullpen mix in Denver. It would save the Rockies short term money while adding long in Khris Davis. It would save the A’s long term money while adding short term in Wade Davis. I could really see this as a win-win deal.
Wade Davis contract is bad and Khris Davis doesn’t play the OF
It’s bad, but it is only one year. The KD deal goes 2 more. It save the A’s long term. KD could play left and if not they could possibly try him at first.
KD is beyond a below average defender. He is absolutely unplayable in Coors, and thought of sticking him there is horrifying. It extends beyond the bad routes, but putting him in the position where he needs to throw consistently is not a great idea, he’s basically admitted to how mentally taxing his yips became. KDs attributes are completely mitigated by what he’ll give up.
WD earns a NTC upon being traded, and there’s the complication of a potential player option.
Boil it down to Tapia for Treinen. Colorado probably doesn’t want to add another expensive reliever coming off a down year while giving up an OF who hasn’t necessarily delivered but is inexpensive. If you’re the A’s that makes a bit of sense, because of the inverse. If you’re the A’s bet on the offense, they have a plethora of arms and their offensive needs are pretty simple and inexpensive to find on the market assuming they believe in internal options in CF. Get what you can get for Treinen and NT types, and if you really wanted Davis he’ll be there at the deadline with a more than likely easier path to ensuring his option doesn’t become a player option. It just makes little sense to be honest.
Why would the Rockies want to trade Davis? We were told at the time of the deal by people that it wasn’t a big overpay and by 2020 if the Rockies aren’t contenders they can easily trade him to a team that wants him for 2 years.
Wouldn’t mind Atkins trading for Profar and Treinen
For Grichuk?
K Davis can’t play OF and has never played 1B. He has no opening in Colorado. Too soon for a salary dump involving him anyway for Oakland. He injured himself trying to play LF in Pittsburgh last season and that started his long decline. I doubt if he even owns a glove at this point.
I disagree. I think KD could handle left in Coors. He played LF everyday in Milwaukee. I’m not claiming he will be a Gold Glove winner by any means, but with his bat in the Rox lineup, I could live with below average LF defense.
Plus, this wouldn’t be a salary dump for either side, it would be a change of scenery deal.
A’s trying to get something for their potential non-tender players. Smart. They should trade Semien too.
If the A’s trade Semien, that would be a gut punch for the fans and the players on the team.
That’s one player Oakland should hold onto.
I wouldn’t show up to a single game if they traded Semien.
But they won’t trade Semien when their competitive window is just now opening, that’s not how they operate. They’ll go into the season, see what he does on the field, throw him an offer and if he doesn’t take it and they’re still in the middle of it by the TDL they’ll just let him walk at the end of the year.
No way any team trades for Profar. Too many other options and they would wait until he was a free-agent and sign him cheap if they did want him.
trading Treinen is going to be hard with just how much worse he was last year vs 2018 i feel like they’ll save more money by non-tendering him. as for Profar – he’s terrible.
Was kind of hoping for a JBJ/Treinan swap….but both teams probably better off with non-tender
Think they’ll figure out a way to hold onto Treinen and build up some value by the trade deadline. Assuming he can bounce back.
Phegs and Profar gotta go, tho.
The A’s would like to be in the middle of the playoff hunt by Treinen, so it’s really a risk for the season no matter how you look at it. If Treinen bounces back we’ve got our closer or setup back man and that helps us compete.