The A’s are known to be listening to offers on a few back-of-the-rotation starting pitchers. There’s been comparatively less chatter about the 43-62 club’s position player group. That’s because their hitters of much regard are all controllable for a long while, but there’s a case to be made that they should entertain trading from a crowded collection of bats.
If that happens, it won’t involve Brent Rooker. The All-Star slugger confidently told Foul Territory this afternoon that he will not be moved. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re good. I’m staying,” Rooker said. He’s in the first season of a five-year, $60MM extension. While that doesn’t come with any no-trade protection, Rooker indicated the front office has already assured him that they’re not moving him.
Rooker will remain locked in as the primary designated hitter. Nick Kurtz, who is mashing at a .281/.355/.614 clip to give teammate Jacob Wilson a run for his money as the AL Rookie of the Year, is a building block at first base. That does leave the A’s to somewhat awkwardly play Tyler Soderstrom out of position in left field. Soderstrom is an average runner who had played only catcher or first base until this season. While he has graded as a league average defender in his first 500+ career innings in the outfield, it’s fair to wonder if the A’s want to keep him out there for the long term.
With that positional logjam in mind, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe wrote earlier this week that some people within the game consider Soderstrom a dark horse trade candidate. Speier didn’t report that the A’s are shopping the 23-year-old, to be clear, so it’s possible that other teams are simply observing the A’s crowded outfield mix and wondering if there’s an opportunity to pry him loose.
Soderstrom is a former first-round pick who has been an above-average hitter in two straight seasons. He owns a .256/.329/.448 batting line with 18 home runs across 415 plate appearances this year. The vast majority of that damage came in April. Soderstrom hit .284 with nine longballs in the season’s first month. He fell into a two-month slump thereafter, though he has rebounded of late with a .271/.295/.542 showing in July.
The lefty-hitting Soderstrom is still a year away from qualifying for arbitration. He’s under club control for four seasons after this one. The A’s would certainly set a high bar even if they were willing to entertain trade discussions. They’ll need an influx of young starting pitching if they want to compete in the near future, though, and none of Jeffrey Springs, JP Sears or Luis Severino is likely to bring back a huge return. Floating Soderstrom for a starting pitcher with a similar window of club control could have some appeal.
The reds should go for soderstrom
Soderstrom is valuable to the A’s. I do not see them trading him and it would take a serious overpay.
I do think that the A’s will trade Severino and Springs, but the position player core will be untouched unless someone wants Bleday as a backup.
Agreed Top Commenter, he’s one of their best hitters and they’ve got him for 4 more seasons it makes zero sense to trade him or any of their young hitters with that much club control remaining.
And they have a lot of young, potentially good to great pitching. Perkins, Ginn, Jump, Morales, Hoglund, Lin, Barnett, Morris, Basso, Estes, Waldichuk, Medina, Johnston, Zhuang, plus our two draft picks Arnold and Zane Taylor. It would take some supremely epic bad luck for all those arms to fall off.
How about putting Soderstrom at third base? He’s a first basement and catcher and does good in the Outfielders, but if he coukd play third it would shore up a hole.
Swap some of their abundance of pitching for Soderstrom on paper doesn’t sound like a bad idea
Cr4
I agree it would be good for Reds unless it was Chase Burns.
Yeah I feel the same, it seems like on paper they could line up decently but I do see why a’s fans would be hesitant to trade soderstrom.
For Hunter Green he is signed past his FA date. Straight swap he doesn’t help the reds on IR and A’S love potential
Soderstrom for Taj Bradley that could work.
Morgan can play a little outfield i think. Diaz will be leaving no later than the end of 2026. I think its a fair deal even if it leaves the Rays a little jammed up at 1b.
Yeah, but like SAFTM said, Isaac is waiting in the wings. So even when Yandy leaves, there’s still a bit of a logjam between him, Aranda, and Morgan. Acquiring Soderstrom would make it jammed all the way up.
See above but better contract on green
Soderstrom could actually go back to catching since the Rays are long in the tooth there.
A’s need SP’s desperately. Anyone not named Miller, Wilson, Kurtz or Rooker should be available.
I think the A’s should keep Soderstrom and be opening to trading Miller if a team is willing to overpay.
I agree that Kurtz, Wilson and Roomer should be kept. I prefer they keep Shea and Butler (nickname “Shea butter?”).
Nick Kurtz is going to be a beast for a long time.
As long as they don’t hold his truncated season against him, if he keeps up producing anything close to this pace, he should be ROY over Wilson.
And because rules that he was not on opening day roster they won’t be able to be awarded a compensation draft pick if he wins
We’re not trading Soderstrom.
He’s young, he’s good, and he’s on a CHEAP contract.
That last part is valued most by the A’s.
In other words, he’s the exact type of player the A’s try to acquire, not trade away.
He’s also a local Bay Area native so Fans feel connected to him.
He doesn’t really fit defensively. And where he does there’s depth in corner outfield, first base, DH. While there’s a glaring need for pitching.
Nah, I agree with GangGreen. It would take Chase Burns or Jacob Misiorowski offer to get Soderstrom and no team is stupid enough to do that. He is staying.
I like soderstrom but that’s an overpay no way those teams trade either pitcher. Probably for kurtz they’d do it. To me, soderstrom for a first full season and probably capable of 25-30 hr at age 23 is a plus but alot of it came in first month. Then his plate apprach was improving just not getting homers and got hot just before all star break. He’s probably average in LF but also prone to mistakes since he’s still learning. Credit to his willingness and athletic enough to take on challenge in switching positions.
I would love to see if the dodgers can put together a package for Mason Miller. We have cheap decent starting pitching available, which is a position of need.
I don’t see a miller deal with one of their 2 outfield prospects hope, de Paula or dalton rushing. The pitching would be secondary trade pieces
Here I agree with 780, de Paula or Hope plus maybe Gonsolin or Frasso. For that haul, it would happen.
This article says Soderstrom is an awkward fit in left, then goes on to say he’s been league average defensively out there despite only starting to play the position recently. Arm, speed, athleticism, bat all profile well in left. Seems like people assumed it would be worse than it has been moving him to left, and are still operating under that assumption
12345
I agree.
Getting decent prospects would fit their timetable more than holding into Miller. And he could get a good haul from an excellent farm system
Unless they are planning on trying to extend him, I agree with you.
It’s silly to extend a reliever imo
I disagree but it is a luxury not need to have a top closer on a bad team. Depending on view of the A’s being good again over the next year or two. Pitching needs an overhaul and I dont see it improving dramatically unless they rush their prospects which wouldn’t be good or idea. Trade for more pitching. And we know trying to recruit free agents to play in a milb home park for at least 2 more seasons will be difficult
HBan
I agree.
A’s Deadline hypothetical Game Plan:
1. Send Soderstrom to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera and Bellozo , Cabrera adds immediate upside to the rotation, and Bellozo is an underrated arm who’s quietly rising.
2. Move Mason Miller and Zack Gelof to the Cubs in a blockbuster for Kevin Alcántara, Moises Ballesteros, and Cade Birdsell — a franchise-altering return with impact potential at multiple positions.
3. Trade Severino to the Mets for Ronny Mauricio, and maybe kick in some cash to cover the next year . A buy-low flier on a high-upside infielder recovering from injury.
If I were the A’s I would not be trading Soderstrom. He’s a better fielding Pat Burrell (make sure you read this in the MLB Slugfest announcer guy voice) from the looks of it.
They have a good core group, they just need to fine tune their pitching a bit. I just don’t know what they could do since they’re the A’s and have little money and aren’t the Rays in terms of taking a washed up pitcher and turning them into an all-star.
They are doing nothing in the AL west w out an influx of pitching.
They should make a deal w the marlins or the Dodgers
KEY Is for then to pick the right young arms in thr deals
ASTROS can’t lock this division down forever
Plus whenever the As surprise w a good season, it’s always cause of the solid pitching esp starters. Time to get back to that
These type of reports make zero sense to me. Report that a rebuilding team might trade a 23-year old that’s proven he can hit at the big league level. In the offseason, Unless they’re getting a proven pitcher in that deal (which they’re not) it’s a terrible trade and one that just makes the A’s the A’s
Soderstrom won’t be traded until Bolte is up and establishes himself…
Soderstrom, Gelof and Miller to Detroit for Melton, Hamm, Owen Hall, Jung, Max Anderson, Montilla, Petit and a lottery ticket.
Miller closes, Tigers can try Gelof in the 3B mix then shift to 2B next year when Torres leaves and Soderstrom jumps between LF, 1B and DH. The Tigers live multi-position pmayers. Melton and Jung are MLB ready and Anderson is a year away. Hamm and Hall in 2 years. That’s 3/5 of the A’s future rotation, Anderson or Jung as their 2B and/or 3B.
And the likelihood is…slim!