Which Players Could the A's Sign as Potential Trade Deadline Pieces?
Last off-season we saw the Kansas City Royals sign Aroldis Chapman only to trade him at the deadline in exchange for Cole Ragans, who went on to have one of the best second halves in the Majors, finishing 7th in ERA (2.64) and 4th in fWAR (2.4). Obviously, the big question for Ragans will be whether or not he can sustain that success over a full season, but for now he looks like a key piece in the Royals having more success in 2024 than they did last year.
The A's had a similar trade, sending Sam Moll to Cincinnati in exchange for Joe Boyle, who dominated in his 16 innings in Oakland, but Moll also came with years of team control. Yet, the A's haven't been active on the free agent market this winter and don't have many tradable players on the roster outside of Seth Brown and Paul Blackburn, or even potentially Brent Rooker or Ryan Noda if they want to free up a spot on the roster for younger players.
The A's should add more veterans on one-year deals that can be used as trade bait to hopefully land them the next Ragans, or at the very least build up the farm system which currently ranks 28th.
One player that fits the bill is Ryne Stanek, formerly of the Houston Astros. In his three seasons with Houston, he tallied 173 2/3 relief innings and held a cumulative 2.90 ERA. In 2022, he limited the long ball and held a 1.15 ERA in 59 appearances for the World Series winners. Last season that ERA spiked to 4.09 as his home run rate returned to career levels.
That said, he has proven to be an effective reliever for contending teams in the past. Stanek will be entering his age 32 season this year, and if he's pitching well, then there will be a slew of teams that would love to add him to their bullpen for the stretch run. He sits 98 and has a good amount of movement on his three pitches. The one big difference for him in 2024 was that he was getting about an inch less horizontal movement on his fastball than he had the two previous seasons.
The toughest part with this plan would be convincing Stanek, or any of these free agents, to sign with the A's with everything surrounding the team. The A's could offer him a good incentive, however, and that would be that he'll be in the playoff hunt in the second half if he performs well. Not a terrible trade-off.
Another player that has the potential to be of some intrigue to other teams at the deadline could be Aaron Hicks. After a couple of down seasons in New York, he was released by the team, only to end up with the division-winning Baltimore Orioles last season. With the O's he manned center and right field primarily, and was a league average defender at each spot. He also hit .275 with a .381 OBP and seven homers in 65 games.
If he's producing like that again in 2024, then there will be at least a couple of teams looking for either an injury replacement or an upgrade at fourth outfielder in July. One reason the A's could have a chance at signing him is that his expected stats from last year told a different story about his production. While he hit .253 overall, his expected batting average was just .207, which is the second-lowest of his career. One reason for this has to be that his average exit velocity sat at 85.3, three miles per hour less than league average.
The A's could take the chance on Hicks that other teams may not be willing to take, and while he's in Oakland he could act as a veteran presence for some of the younger players on the roster. His chase% and walk rate have been at elite levels, even as his production has declined. He could also help guys like Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, and Lawrence Butler in the field.
The big hurdle here would be clearing a spot for Hicks on the roster, with Ruiz, Bleday, Brown and Miguel Andújar expected to be the outfielders on the Opening Day roster with Brent Rooker looming as a fifth option.
With so many free agents left un-signed, the A's will likely make one or even two signings. The team said earlier in the off-season that they're looking for a veteran starting pitcher, but a lot of the enticing ones have already found new homes. As things sit right now, the A's could use upgrades in certain areas, but they're also a young team that needs to let the youth play in order to find out what they have for the future. It'll be a delicate balance for the front office to manage.