With the Texas Rangers winning the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish, teams in search for starting pitching could now turn their attention to Oakland’s southpaw Gio Gonzalez. Oakland’s young All-Star pitcher has been at the center of a lot of rumors this offseason, but those rumors are expected to get louder once the Darvish situation is settled.
The A’s have already traded their other All-Star pitcher Trevor Cahill to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the team probably isn’t finished wheelin’ and dealin’. General manager Billy Beane isn’t technically “shopping” his players, but he is definitely keeping an open mind when it comes to dealing his players.
Beane’s biggest trade chip remains Gonzalez, who has been an incredibly solid pitcher over the past two seasons, going 31-21 with a 3.17 ERA.
Several teams have shown great interest in Oakland’s young southpaw, but the A’s are not about to give away one of their best players.
The asking price for Gonzalez, who only figures to get better with age and experience, is said to be extremely high. Oakland wants at least two top prospects in addition to a couple mid-level prospects in return for Gonzalez.
MLBTradeRumors.com has reported that the Washington Nationals have entered the Gonzalez sweepstakes. The Nationals are accompanied by the Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays in the race for Gonzalez.
If Beane doesn’t get what he wants in a potential offer, however, don’t look for him to pull the trigger on a trade. The A’s are eyeing a new stadium in San Jose, and they’re trying to assemble young talented players who will be ready to compete once a new venue is established.
Oakland’s biggest need is offense. Getting young hitters with power should be Oakland’s top priority during this newest youth-movement/overhaul.
Beane also has closer Andrew Bailey to trade as well. Bailey is a proven closer and the A’s could get a pretty penny for Bailey’s services. Oakland will deal these guys if the price is right.
What do you think? Will the A’s finally pull the trigger on a Gonzalez deal?