The Reds Bat the A's Can’t Ignore This Winter
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The A's and Cincinnati Reds have made a couple of trades over the past few years, with Miguel Andujar and Sam Moll landing with the Reds in recent seasons, while the A's have taken in pitching prospects Kenya Huggins and Joe Boyle. The two clubs could serve to benefit one another yet again this winter.
In breaking down where the A's ranked offensively compared to the final four teams in the postseason, there were some areas of growth for the A's to address this winter. They ranked 20th in walk rate (8.2%) and tied for 20th in strikeout rate (22.9%), while also coming in 27th out of 30 teams in stolen bases with 80.
While steals may not be a top priority for the Green and Gold, making progress in the other two seems like the most surefire way for this team to make up ground for an already solid group of offensive performers.
One player that would help the A's in all three of those facets, and address a potential position of need, is outfielder TJ Friedl.
How Friedl Fits
The A's are entering the offseason with a little uncertainty in the outfield. Denzel Clarke, who is arguably the best defender in baseball, missed nearly all of the second half with a right adductor strain. He is heading into the offseason healthy, but he has yet to hit consistently at the big-league level.
Lawrence Butler underwent surgery on his right knee right after the season ended, and his timeline is unclear heading into 2026. While the A's have a decent amount of outfield depth, it's unproven depth, and they're looking to challenge for a spot in the postseason in '26. Adding a veteran could fit the roster nicely.
Friedl held an 11.8% walk rate along with a 16.8% strikeout rate, which would push both of those areas of need in the right direction. He also added 12 stolen bases this past season while hitting .261 with a .364 OBP and a .742 OPS. That said, he's not a huge power hitter, smacking 14 homers in 2025, and his defense was roughly league average in center.
The A's already have plenty of power hitters in their lineup, but having someone like Friedl at the bottom of the order could be a huge boost. Of course, his main value to the A's would be if Butler misses time, or if Clarke struggles.
Otherwise, he'd be a fourth outfielder option that can swing it from the left side. He'd be an upgrade over Carlos Cortes, who was terrific in his debut season with the A's.
The A's hitting coaches may also be able to have him work on going to the opposite field a bit more in an effort to expand his game. While this sounds very old school, the A's two biggest breakouts, Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom, found success with this approach in 2025, at least in key situations. Langeliers cut his strikeout rate by 7.5%, while Soderstrom led the team in RBI.
Friedl has the ability to make contact, but he only went to the opposite field 19.2% of the time. Friedl seems to be a less extreme version of Jacob Wilson, and with his ability to make contact, he should probably be spraying the ball around a bit more.
Also, with the implementation of ABS coming in 2026, adding guys that know the strike zone like Friedl could be the new market inefficiency. The A's already have Wilson and Nick Kurtz as two players that know the strike zone pretty well, but if they can create a long lineup of guys that will challenge calls and work the count in their favor, they could be a nightmare group for opposing pitchers.
Who Would the A's Trade For Friedl?
The Reds outfielder is under contract through the 2028 campaign and is set to enter arbitration next year. MLB Trade Rumors has him projected to make $4.9 milion in his first year of eligibility.
He also just turned 30, so there is reason to believe that Cincinnati could at least listen on him while they try to construct a winning roster led by that tremendous pitching staff. The Reds also dealt with a number of pitching injuries in 2025, so they may be after depth options.
With that being the case, perhaps a pitcher like J.T. Ginn, who has shown glimpses with the A's across parts of two seasons, plus another piece, could get the job done. The A's would be giving up team control, as Ginn has three options remaining and hasn't racked up a year of service time yet. He also struck out 25.3% of the batters he faced across 90 1/3 innings of work, while walking just 7.9%.
He'd be a good starting block in a potential deal.
From there, the Reds could choose one of a number of depth outfield options. Former first rounder JJ Bleday seems like a change of scenery option for the A's this winter. After breaking out in 2024 by posting a 120 wRC+ (100 is league average), he regressed back to a 90 across 98 games this past season.
Bleday's walk rate gives him a decent floor offensively, and while he's a career .215 hitter he holds a .307 OBP and a 99 wRC+. He's shown that he has a decent ceiling, perhaps even higher than Friedl's, and plopping him into Great American Ball Park's hitting environment (in a big-league park) could suit him well. Even in a down 2025, he still managed 14 home runs, and he mashed 20 in 2024.
Adding a little bit of pop to the Reds offense would certainly help the club out as they ranked 21st in baseball in home runs with 167 in 2025. Bleday is also under team control through 2028 and set to enter arbitration for the first time in 2026. He's estimated for $2.2 million.
A potential trade could involve different moving parts that depend on the Reds' specific needs, but Friedl would be a great piece for the A's to consider trading for this winter.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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