MLBTR's team-by-team look at the upcoming trade deadline continues with a look at the Athletics, a team that has been rebuilding for a few years now. They had an aggressive winter ahead of the 2025 campaign and showed some promise early in the season but they have since fallen back and are clearly not out of the rebuild yet.
Record: 33-50 (0.2% playoff probability)
Other series entries: Rockies, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Marlins
Sell Mode
Impending free agents: Luis Urías, Sean Newcomb, Gio Urshela, T.J. McFarland, Miguel Andujar, José Leclerc
These guys should all be very much available in the next few weeks, though it's unlikely the A's get a massive return from any of them. Luis Urías should be the most appealing of the bunch. The A's signed him to a one-year, $1.1MM deal in the offseason. He has appeared in 66 games so far this year with seven home runs, a 10% walk rate and 13.3% strikeout rate. His .244/.328/.378 batting line translates to a 102 wRC+. He has mostly played second base in 2025 but has also spent some time at third and has extensive experience at both positions. He's not a superstar, but he's a solid option in a market without a ton of others available, so he should be able to net the A's a prospect or two. Last year, infielders like Paul DeJong, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Amed Rosario were flipped for modest returns and Urías could be somewhat similar.
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They need to get 1-2 more reliable starters and practically a made over bullpen (which isn’t impossible) and they’d be contenders IMO. Most likely they will have to trade someone like Soderstrom or Bleday because their team is also constructed horribly to play defense.
I thought last year about Bleday to the Pirates. However, he regressed a lot this year. Still has a little power but awful in the field and continuing to take swings at marginal players tends to not work out (BDLC, Pham, Suwinski, Caminero)
Honestly, I had them competing for a Wild Card like the 2023 Reds. Not all the way there, but showing some life. The wheels just completely fell off the pitching, though. Ballpark didn’t help
That ballpark is a bandbox, just like George M Steinbrenner. Having it be hot, small, and not a ton of room to the left of the foul lines in OF leans so much into a hitters favor
Even then, though, the Rays have a 115 ERA+, and the A’s are dead last with a 76, even behind Baltimore. Probably the worst possible outcome one could have pictured for this season.
On paper, the Giants match up with the A’s on a pitching for hitting trade.
Don’t forget, the A’s accepted Ross Stripling and cash from the Giants. Why? So they could play in Sacramento. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another wink-wink trade coming, possibly after they play each in early July. Yes, conspiracy theory on my part but within the realm of possibility.
Excuse me, what did I just read?
Giants need to be swayed to allow A’s to play in Sacramento. A’s moving gives Giants the entire Bay Area market, they weren’t going to risk that playing games with the expiring contract of Ross Stripling.
Not so clear the As are trying to forge a path out of rebuild mode. What incentive do they have to substantially improve the team while playing temporarily in Sacramento? They are close to seeling out most nights,and there’s not a lot of added playoff revenue with so few seats to sell. Quite sensible for them to be targeting 2028 (or later?) when they hopefu;;y arrive in their permanent home in Las Vegas (“permanent” being a relative term for a franchise that now has traveled further than Lewis and Clark)..
The A’s should not want to open their move to Las Vegas with a rebuilding club. They should be keeping any player who reasonably could be part of a competitive team.
Do you know who the owner of the A’s is by chance?
The Reds need to go after Rooker with a package that includes Chase Petty and Lowder. They have enough other arms and can fill in with a veteran signing each year. To have a right handed power bat behind ELDC would be tough for opposing pitchers to deal with
They won’t do any of that, (not) Mitchell Page, for all the talking and bashing you’ve been doing, this franchise won’t get anything done, including that “new stadium”