The Oakland A’s are open for business and a few of their players might have to pack their bags for a trip down south.
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The Oakland A’s have all but announced that they are looking to be sellers for the offseason. They are not giving up on the 2022 which is what selling is usually associated with. The Athletics are looking to “flip” some of their players.
Chris Bassitt has a career 3.47 ERA in the majors. He is 32 years old and has 7 seasons under his belt. His projected salary for the 2022 season is $8.8 million and is heading into free agency after the 2022 season is over. The A’s hate to see their players go to free agency. If they can get any value out of them before they leave, that’s their goal.
Matt Chapman could be wearing a different jersey in 2022
Matt Chapman is another name that has been tossed around but he currently doesn’t fit the Dodgers’ roster. This looks even less likely should the Dodgers re-sign either Seager or Taylor. Matt Olsen would also fall under this umbrella. The only way that either Matt Chapman or Matt Olsen look likely is if the Dodgers include Gavin Lux, who will be a free agent in 2027, on the deal.
Including Gavin Lux into any trades with the A’s will definitely mean that the Dodgers will be getting either Chapman or Olsen. The appeal for both is there. If the Dodgers don’t resign Chris Taylor then Matt Olsen seems to make the most sense since Bellinger would spend more time in the outfield. And with the universal DH looking very likely next season, the Dodgers could alternate Turner, Muncy and Olsen.
Dynamic duo looks set to leave Oakland
Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are the other 2 starting pitchers that the Dodgers will be looking at. The most appealing of the two is Sean Manaea. He will be 30 years old when the 2022 season starts but has great numbers. He has a career ERA of 3.86 and throws left-handed.
Frankie Montas also has a career ERA of 3.86 and will be 29 years old when the 2022 season starts. But he has nearly half the amount of innings pitched as Manaea. Montas has pitched a total of 448 innings and Manaea has pitched 727 innings.
Trades could help the Dodgers deal with Bauer situation
If the Dodgers fail to re-sign Kershaw and/or Scherzer, they could go all-in on A’s players. A complete hypothetical that could be very appealing would be to send Gavin Lux (free agent in 2027) and Tony Gonsolin (free agent in 2027) to the A’s for Chris Bassitt (free agent in 2023) and Matt Olsen (free agent in 2024) and Sean Manaea (free agent in 2023).
The Dodgers will probably have to throw some cash or another lower-tier prospect but this would provide a lot of support for the Dodgers should they face a lot of injuries again. Either way, with the Bauer money currently tied-up until the league enforces a suspension, the Dodgers might be forced to look at trades more seriously.
