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A’s Could Trade Treinen, Profar, Phegley

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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.

Marcus Semien, A’s Mutually Interested In Extension

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9:22pm: The A’s are more focused on Semien’s arbitration figure than a potential extension, according to agent Joel Wolfe, Heyman tweets.

7:32pm: A’s shortstop Marcus Semien has told the front office he’s interested in a long-term extension, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The A’s “would love to keep Semien” and the two sides will kick off dialogue on talks about a long-term deal, Heyman adds.

Of course, mutual interest in an extension doesn’t guarantee that a deal will come to fruition. The low-payroll A’s haven’t had ample success retaining homegrown stars in the past, and any deal with Semien would certainly be pricey. The AL MVP finalist is entering his final season of team control via arbitration, in which he’s projected to make $13.5MM. With free agency not too far in the future, Semien has the leverage to hold out for a rather lucrative deal.

There’s some chance the A’s don’t even have to top the market to retain Semien’s services. The Bay Area native starred at Berkeley and has spent the past five seasons playing in Oakland. Over the first three of those seasons, Semien was merely an average, if durable, performer. The A’s stuck with Semien, though, as Heyman notes, and they’ve been rewarded the past two years. Semien totaled 3.8 fWAR in 2018 before truly breaking out last season, slashing .285/.369/.522 (137 wRC+) en route to a nearly eight-win season.

On both sides of the ball, Semien’s development has been remarkable. Defensively, he endured some well-publicized throwing tribulations in his first two-plus years in Oakland. The past two seasons, though, he’s almost completely eradicated the miscues and transformed into one of the game’s top defensive infielders. Since the start of 2018, Semien has totaled 14 defensive runs saved at shortstop, ninth-most at the position.

At the plate, Semien put together a banner year in nearly every category in 2019. Always one with a keen eye for the strike zone, Semien chased fewer pitches and made more contact than ever, enabling him to sport a career-high walk rate and a career-low strikeout rate. He also upped his hard contact by nearly ten points from 2018, contributing to career-best marks in homers (33) and ISO (.237).

Before last season, Semien had never before been above league average with the bat, so it would be fair to anticipate some regression in 2020. That said, he turned 29 in September and Statcast largely supports his bottom line results from last season, so there’s little reason to believe he’ll revert all the way back to a league average hitter. Even output 15-20 percent better than average at the dish, while not at the level he performed in 2019, would make Semien a true star given his elite durability and plus glove at the infield’s most important position.

Semien’s market is tough to gauge. If he were to play out 2020, he’d hit free agency having just turned 30. Assuming he were to stay healthy and approach anything near his level of production the past two seasons, Oakland would surely make him a qualifying offer. That could be a small hit to his market, but there’d be ample interest in Semien regardless. If he repeats his 2019 production, he’d no doubt be among the top free agents in next year’s class. However, there is certainly some risk involved for the player in taking that course of action. He has been extremely durable to this point, but injuries are always a risk for any player. Any regression in performance, too, would obviously curtail his earning power. One need look no further than the top shortstop on this year’s market, Didi Gregorius, for a cautionary tale of how quickly one’s long-term outlook could change. Of course, Gregorius has never approached the type of season Semien just put up.

For the A’s, committing to Semien would be a franchise-defining decision. As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne explored in his offseason outlook, Oakland doesn’t have much wiggle room if they plan to open 2020 with a payroll in a similar range as their $92MM season-opening outlay last year. However, much of that payroll is tied up in arbitration-eligible players, with Oakland’s only commitments beyond 2020 a combined $25MM to Khris Davis and Stephen Piscotty. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson will surely get more expensive as they progress through arbitration, too, but there seems to be some room in the long-term budget if the A’s front office feels comfortable betting on Semien long-term. Oakland has previously made runs at both Semien and Chapman in the past, but to no avail. With both players having truly broken out, neither would come cheap at this point. The club did extend Davis as he entered his walk year, although the commitment required to lock up a two-way star shortstop like Semien dwarfs that of a DH-only like Davis.

Semien’s future will perhaps be the defining decision of the offseason for executive vice president Billy Beane, GM David Forst, and the rest of the Oakland front office. Earlier this month, MLBTR readers weighed in on the subject. In a tightly-contested vote, 37% called for Oakland to extend Semien (even if at market value), 32% thought it best to trade him this offseason, while 31% felt the sides should simply play out the season.

A’s Announce Various Minor-League Signings

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The A’s announced a spate of minor-league signings this afternoon, some of which were previously reported by Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. On the pitching side, the club brought aboard left-hander Lucas Luetge and right-handers Ian Gardeck, Zach Lee, and Brian Schlitter. They confirmed the earlier-reported signing of Jaime Schultz. Oakland also added depth on the position player side, signing catcher Carlos Pérez, and infielders Eric Campbell, Nate Orf and Ryan Goins. All nine players will receive an invitation to MLB camp in spring training.

Of those players, only Gardeck doesn’t have some MLB experience. The former Giants’ farmhand tossed 18.2 relief innings with a 2.41 ERA last season for Tampa Bay’s AA affiliate in Montgomery. Campbell and Schlitter spent last season in the A’s organization, with Schlitter pitching in six MLB games for Oakland.

Except for Schlitter, only Goins reached the game’s highest level in 2019, his seventh straight year logging MLB action. The former Blue Jay took 163 plate appearances for the White Sox and slashed .250/.333/.347. That tops the .230/.279/.335 (65 wRC+) line the infielder has accumulated over his career. He, Campbell, and Orf, a former Brewers’ prospect, could all vie for a utility role this spring.

Athletics, Jaime Schultz Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have agreed to a minor league contract with right-handed reliever Jaime Schultz, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). He’ll be invited to Major League Spring Training and vie for a bullpen job in camp.

Schultz, 28, has spent the past two seasons in the Rays and Dodgers organizations, where he’s scuffled to a combined 5.86 ERA in 35 1/3 innings at the MLB level. Schultz has averaged 9.7 K/9 during that time but has also surrendered an average of 5.1 walks and 1.8 homers per nine innings of work. That said, Schultz averaged just under 96 mph on his fastball in 2019, has a career 12.5 percent swinging-strike rate in the big leagues and was in the 87th percentile of MLB pitchers in terms of fastball spin rate this past season, perhaps suggesting there’s more in the tank.

Schultz has also appeared in parts of four Triple-A campaigns and notched a 4.42 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 in 226 innings. He’s been more of a fly-ball pitcher since moving to the bullpen a few years back but did post an above-average 47.2 percent mark in that regard with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2019.

Cubs Acquire Jharel Cotton From Athletics

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The Athletics have traded right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton to the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations, according to an official announcement from the A’s (Twitter link). Cotton was designated for assignment on Wednesday. Acquiring Cotton leaves three open spots on the Cubs’ 40-man roster.

Cotton hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2017, thanks to a 2018 elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He returned to pitch in the minor leagues late this year, but struggled in 14 Triple-A games and didn’t make it back to the big leagues.

For the Cubs, Cotton represents a buy-low reclamation project who could pay off if he can make good on the upside that made him a promising prospect several years ago. A key part of the Athletics’ 2016 trade with the Dodgers involving Josh Reddick and Rich Hill, Cotton was viewed as a potential rotation cog thanks to an impressive minor league track record.

After a solid rookie showing with the Athletics in 2016, making five starts, Cotton was installed in the Opening Day starting rotation for 2017 and ultimately failed to match the numbers he posted the year before. He stumbled to a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts

It’ll be interesting to see if Cotton, now 27 years old and approaching two years removed from elbow surgery, will be given the chance to compete for a spot in the Cubs’ rotation, with Cole Hamels likely to depart in free agency. He’ll need to overtake Tyler Chatwood, Adbert Alzolay, and Alec Mills, all of whom were part-time starters last year. If not, Cotton could be deployed out of the bullpen as a multi-inning option; he made 15 appearances in relief in the minors last year. At the very least, he represents pitching depth for an organization that is otherwise lacking in that department.

Athletics Designate Jharel Cotton For Assignment

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The Athletics announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Jharel Cotton for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Daulton Jefferies from Double-A Midland. Oakland’s 40-man roster remains full.

Cotton, 27, joined the A’s alongside righties Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes in the 2016 trade that sent Josh Reddick and Rich Hill to the Dodgers. At the time, he was considered a fairly well-regarded pitching prospect and a potential long-term rotation piece, but things haven’t panned out that way. While Cotton impressed with a 2.15 ERA in 29 1/3 innings with the A’s in 2016 following that trade, he was unable to replicate that over a larger sample in 2017.

That 2017 season saw Cotton limp to a 5.58 ERA in 129 innings, due largely to an alarming 2.0 HR/9 mark. He missed the entire 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery, and his 2019 comeback season was shortened by a hamstring issue that eventually required surgical repair. At this point, it’s been more than two years since Cotton has thrown an inning in a Major League game.

Jefferies, 24, was a Competitive Balance selection (No. 37 overall) by the A’s back in 2016. He split the 2019 season between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, where he worked to a combined 3.42 ERA with an otherworldly 93-to-9 K/BB ratio in 79 innings (10.6 K/9, 1.0 BB/9). Jefferies barely pitched from 2016-18 thanks to a shoulder injury during his junior year at Cal Berkeley and Tommy John surgery in 2017. But the 2019 campaign was a resounding comeback year that has moved him firmly into the ranks of the Athletics’ most promising young arms.

Cubs Hire Dan Kantrovitz As Vice President Of Scouting

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The Cubs announced Wednesday that they’ve hired Dan Kantrovitz away from the Athletics to serve as their new vice president of scouting. Kantrovitz had been an assistant general manager with Oakland for the past five years, working under executive vice president of operations Billy Beane and general manager David Forst.

Kantrovitz broke into baseball operations with the Cardinals in 2004 and has had multiple stints in both the St. Louis and Oakland front offices — including a run as the Cardinals’ director of scouting from 2012-14. During that time, the Cards drafted the likes of Michael Wacha, Stephen Piscotty, Carson Kelly, Kyle Barraclough, Marco Gonzales, Oscar Mercado, Luke Voit, Luke Weaver, Daniel Ponce de Leon and 2019 breakout ace Jack Flaherty.

Since returning to the Athletics for the 2015 season, he’s been elevated to assistant GM and tackled a variety of responsibilities within baseball operations. Per the Oakland media guide, Kantrovitz had a “primary focus on overseeing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets.”

Kantrovitz played shortstop in college at Brown University and graduated with a degree organizational behavior and management. In 2009, he completed a Master’s Degree in statistics at Harvard University.

The hiring of Kantrovitz comes two months after the Cubs announced that vice president of amateur scouting and player development Jason McLeod would transition to the role of vice president of player personnel. More recently, director of amateur scouting Matt Dorey was named senior director of player development.

Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago/670 The Score first reported the hiring of Kantrovitz, via Twitter

Athletics Eyeing Left-Handed Bats, Additional Bullpen Arms

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Were they not in the AL West, the Athletics might have a division title under their belt in the past couple of seasons. Unfortunately for Oakland, they’ve played second fiddle to a powerhouse Astros club despite a pair of 97-win seasons and now must look for an avenue to either topple the ’Stros or finally punch through the Wild Card barrier.

That’s easier said than done, of course, and general manager David Forst chatted with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle about this week’s GM Meetings and the work his club has to do to improve. Specifically, the Athletics would like to balance out their lineup a bit this winter. “It’s something we’ve discussed a lot internally, looking for opportunities to add left-handed bats to the lineup,” said Forst, who also listed the bullpen as a potential area for supplementation.

A certain old friend could even be a potential target, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The A’s have reached out to the representatives for free agent catcher Stephen Vogt, creating an opening for an intriguing potential reunion that didn’t seem terribly likely when the sides parted ways. The left-handed-hitting backstop could help with the aforementioned desire for lineup balance while also serving as a reserve behind the dish.

At present, the Athletics are heavily reliant on right-handed bats. Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Khris Davis, Ramon Laureano, Stephen Piscotty, Mark Canha and on-the-rise catcher Sean Murphy all hit from the right side of the dish. Oakland does have one potent lefty bat in first baseman Matt Olson, while switch-hitters Robbie Grossman and Jurickson Profar at least offered manager Bob Melvin some options from the left side of the plate. But the 2019 A’s were a powerhouse against left-handed pitching, ranking fourth in the Majors with a 115 wRC+ in that regard, while they posted a more measured (but still above-average) 104 wRC+ against right-handed opposition.

Both marks are reflective of a quality offensive unit, but there is indeed an opportunity to add some more balance — particularly with MLB rosters set to expand from 25 players to 26 players in 2020. The presence of that robust core — Olson, Chapman, Semien, Davis, Murphy, Laureano — doesn’t leave the A’s with too many clear spots for upgrade, but further comments from Forst lend some insight. The GM suggested that left field, where Grossman and Chad Pinder formed a capable platoon, isn’t “at the top of the priority list” at the moment.

As MLBTR’s Connor Byrne explored late last month in the Athletics’ Offseason Outlook, adding a left-handed bat at second base and/or in the outfield could be in the cards. Incumbent options include the aforementioned Pinder (who can play both positions), Profar (second base) and Piscotty (right field). Younger players like Franklin Barreto and Jorge Mateo have also yet to get a real look at second base and, as Shea observes, will both be out of minor league options in 2020.

Pinder is best suited for a bench role and saw even his numbers against lefties back up in 2019. Defensive questions swirled around Profar, who had a poor year at the plate outside of a blistering month of August. Piscotty is still owed $22.5MM over the next three seasons combined, which the A’s may deem too steep after his bat took a couple steps back in 2019 (.249/.309/.412).

The free-agent market offers some intriguing alternatives — Kole Calhoun or old friends Ben Zobrist and Eric Sogard could all conceivably fit the mold of what the organization is seeking. The relief market features numerous affordable arms — Sergio Romo, Pedro Strop, Craig Stammen and David Phelps among them. And the A’s, of course, are ever-active on the trade market and figure to lay the foundation for such negotiations at this week’s GM Meetings.

Still, it’s not an easy puzzle to solve. Their current 2020 payroll commitments stand at $45.5MM between Davis, Piscotty, Mike Fiers, Joakim Soria and Yusmeiro Petit. The A’s have another $53.7MM worth of projected arbitration salaries (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz), which are headlined by a $13.5MM projection for Semien. Among the notable non-tender/trade candidates in that bunch are Blake Treinen ($7.8MM projection), Profar ($5.8MM) and catcher Josh Phegley ($2.2MM).

As ever, cost will be a paramount consideration. Oakland opened the 2019 season with a $92MM payroll — low for most clubs but a franchise record for the A’s — and their current guarantees and arb projections alone will push them to $99MM (before even factoring in pre-arbitration players to round out the roster). If the hope is to add at least one new lefty bat (if not two) and some additional ’pen help, they’ll need to be aggressive in non-tendering/trading from that arbitration class and perhaps explore the market for Piscotty (depending on other moves). It’ll make for quite a few moving parts and possibly some unexpected trade scenarios, but that’s become the norm for Beane, Forst and the rest of an always-creative Oakland front office.

Looking more closely at the catching situation, Phegley’s situation is particularly relevant as concerns Vogt, since the former is presently in line to fill an important role behind the plate. It’s possible that both could share time on the roster, though that doesn’t seem terribly likely given the costs involved and the ongoing presence of Davis in the DH slot. The fact that there’s interest in Vogt seems a clear indication that the club is at least considering a different direction. As Slusser notes, Phegley’s offense tailed off in the second half and he lost playing time to Murphy down the stretch.

Vogt, of course, logged four-plus seasons with the A’s and was the club’s top catcher from 2015-2016. He emerged as something of a fan favorite thanks to his solid offensive contributions. In his time in Oakland, Vogt slashed .256/.317/.416 (101 wRC+) over 1641 plate appearances. He tailed off at the plate in 2017, leading the A’s to designate him for assignment, before a career-threatening shoulder injury wiped out his 2018 season.

Fortunately, Vogt posted a suprising bounceback effort last season with the Giants. In 280 plate appearances, Vogt slashed .263/.314/.490 (107 wRC+) with 10 home runs. Entering his age-35 season, Vogt surely won’t be expected to carry a huge load at catcher, but he’s still capable of getting behind the dish and offers some left-handed power, in addition to a well-respected veteran presence. As Slusser notes, that could make Vogt an ideal fit as the A’s break in the aforementioned Murphy. Already one of the game’s top prospects, Murphy impressed in a brief showing as a September call-up but will be in need of some supplementation and mentoring.

Multiple Teams Pursuing Zack Wheeler At Outset Of Free Agency

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7:33pm: The Mets also remain interested in exploring a multi-year arrangement with Wheeler, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s not evident how serious that possibility is — let alone whether there’s any potential for a pact to come together before Wheeler formally reaches the open market.

We’ve seen plenty of on-again/off-again chatter of a deal with Wheeler over recent months. When the Mets acquired Marcus Stroman, it was generally supposed that the club was going to move on from Wheeler, though the door stayed open when he wasn’t dealt over the summer. With obvious budgetary restrains and other needs, it still feels like a longshot.

Meanwhile, those prior trade talks also came up in reporting today. Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets that the Mets spoke with teams right up until the deadline passed, with the Astros pushing hardest and the Yankees, Rays, and Athletics also involved.

That’s mostly of historical interest, though it could offer some clues for free agency. Indeed, the Houston organization is already engaged with Wheeler’s reps, per Heyman (via Twitter). The ’Stros talked shop with Jet Sports today. We can only presume that the outfit’s major free agent starter came up in conversation, among other things.

2:29pm: Zack Wheeler technically has another three days to accept or reject his $17.8MM qualifying offer from the Mets, but there’s never been a realistic scenario in which he takes the one-year deal. The right-hander is widely considered to be among the four best pitchers in free agency this winter — No. 3 behind Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, by many accounts — and should have little trouble cashing in on a lucrative multi-year pact. To that end, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that the Angels, Padres and White Sox are among the teams that have shown early interest in Wheeler. Other clubs have surely checked in already and will continue to do so, of course.

Wheeler, 29, has come all the way back from a lengthy absence stemming from 2015 Tommy John surgery. He’s made 60 starts over the past two seasons and saw his fastball velocity tick up to a career-high 96.7 mph average in 2019 — the second-hardest mark of any free-agent starter on the market (behind Cole).

Wheeler had a rough handful of starts at the beginning of each of the past two seasons, but over his past 55 starts combined, he’s worked to a 3.47 ERA (3.27 FIP) with 9.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.82 HR/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate in 349 2/3 innings. Beyond the high-end velocity, Wheeler possesses above-average spin on his heater and curveball, and he’s excelled in terms of minimizing hard contact against him (90th percentile average exit-velocity among MLB starters, per Statcast).

Each of the three listed teams is a natural fit for Wheeler, though that’s true of the majority of rotation-hungry teams in the league. While the likes of Cole and Strasburg will be wholly ruled out by many clubs due to their expected $30MM+ annual salaries and over the next half decade-plus, Wheeler is quite likely someone most teams will view as affordable — even if he’s at the top end of their budget. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman quotes one team executive expressing a similar sentiment, calling Wheeler the best arm of the market’s second tier (beyond Cole and Strasburg) and adding “and everyone pretty much will believe they could afford him.”

Beyond the listed teams in Morosi’s report, it’d be a surprise if the Phillies, Twins, Braves, Yankees, Rangers, Nationals (if Strasburg departs), Dodgers, Blue Jays and others aren’t in play for the righty. Wheeler could draw the most widespread interest of any free agent on the market this winter and will probably be connected to a dozen or more additional teams between now and the time he finally puts pen to paper.

MLBTR Poll: Marcus Semien’s Long-Term Future

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Marcus Semien emerged as a true star in 2019. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs despite playing in a pitcher-friendly home park (137 wRC+). Semien’s walk rate spiked to a career-high 11.6%, he cut his strikeout rate to a career-low 13.7%, and easily set career marks in every power metric. The baseball traveling further than ever certainly helped, but Semien also set new career highs in hard contact rate and average exit velocity.

He was also as reliable as they come for manager Bob Melvin. Semien started 161 games at shortstop and rated as one of the league’s most valuable defenders, reaping the rewards of an elite work ethic which the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal chronicled in June. Those well-rounded contributions (he was worth 7.6 fWAR, fifth-most in MLB) have Semien alongside Mike Trout and Alex Bregman as finalists for the AL MVP award.

This offseason, though, could present an interesting question for A’s president of baseball operations Billy Beane and general manager David Forst. Semien has 5.118 years of MLB service, meaning he’s entering his final season of team control. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projects Semien to land a $13.5MM salary in arbitration this offseason. That’s a huge bargain for the production Semien brings to the table, even if one is skeptical he’ll maintain his superstar level numbers next season. That said, it’s not inconsequential for an A’s team that ended last season with a $94MM payroll, per Roster Resource, but is currently projected to exceed $111MM in 2020. A big class of potential non-tenders, as explored by MLBTR’s Connor Byrne in his A’s Offseason Outlook, will surely cut that number down, but Oakland doesn’t figure to have a ton of financial flexibility this offseason.

That could lead to some speculation about Semien’s long-term future. By all accounts, player and organization remain extremely fond of one another, but at last look, there seemed to be little movement on extension talks. That’s not to say the sides will give up on hammering out a long-term agreement, but one coming together seems unlikely. After all, the 29-year-old has little financial incentive to give a hometown discount (and it would truly be a hometown discount, as Semien is from the Bay Area and attended college at UC Berkeley) being so close to free agency. The A’s, of course, aren’t typically ones to top the market on star players.

While Oakland no doubt hopes to contend in 2020, the AL West will be formidable. The Astros will again be heavy favorites coming off a 107-win season, and the Angels are widely expected to pursue the market’s top free agent starters. Perhaps the time is right for the A’s to gauge Semien’s value on the trade market, particularly if they don’t anticipate coming to an agreement on an extension. A Semien trade would be unpopular among A’s fans, but it wouldn’t be the first time Oakland traded a star player in his prime.

Assuming Semien doesn’t settle for less than he’s worth on the open market to stay in Oakland, how should the A’s proceed? Get a deal done with Semien at all costs and build around a likable, hometown star? Make the unpopular move to send him away after he’s fully blossomed, but perhaps at peak value? Or play it out, make a run for a third straight postseason appearance and recoup a compensatory draft pick if/when Semien leaves in free agency?

(poll link for app users, answer choices in random order)

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