Oakland Athletics’ Top Four Trade Destinations For Scott Kazmir
Trade rumors have surrounded the Oakland Athletics ever since they unexpectedly started to flounder in the first month of the regular season. The A’s are an underperforming team with a lot of top-tier talent at many positions, so Billy Beane will be hearing from nearly every contending team about acquiring one or more of those pieces.
Last year’s blockbuster deal that sent Jeff Samardzija to the A’s in exchange for Addison Russell occurred on the Fourth of July. With that day quickly approaching, the baseball world will be watching the A’s closely to see if they are the first to make a splash in the trade market. Particularly, baseball is wondering where starting pitcher Scott Kazmir is going to be dealt.
The A’s did have the option to keep Samardzija for the 2015 season as well, so it is difficult to compare the assets of that deal to what Kazmir’s value to a contending team will be, since he will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season.
A Kazmir deal may more closely resemble the deal that sent Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox. The A’s were one of the best teams in baseball, and they were willing to part with their best hitter to get 11 starts out of Jon Lester.
Beane set pretty jarring precedents with these trades. Top rated-prospects and lineup centerpieces are no longer off the table, even in exchange for half a season of a pitcher’s services. He might have foreseen Kazmir’s inevitable departure, and preemptively set the table for an incredibly A’s-friendly deal down the road.
The A’s should make the deal this weekend. Chris Bassitt showed his true Major League form in his start against the Colorado Rockies, and Sean Nolin and A.J. Griffin are just waiting for a call-up from Triple-A. If Kazmir is dealt this weekend, he will get to provide about 15 starts for his new team. The ultimate question is how much will teams give up to get 15 Scott Kazmir starts?
Here are four possibilities:
Next: The Pittsburgh Pirates
Jun 12, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher
Jeff Locke(49) looks on from the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates
Why Pittsburgh?
When Jeff Locke dominated the International League at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2012, the Pirates thought they had a rising star. This year at the Major League level, Locke has a 4.55 ERA and is struggling to get through five innings per start. The Pirates are a contending team, and Locke certainly makes them nervous every fifth game.
Vance Worley, who had a strong 2014 campaign, was supposed to be one of the best back-end starters in baseball this season. But the Vanimal was disappointing through seven starts this season, posting a 4.38 ERA and 1.615 WHIP through those starts. The Pirates relegated him to bullpen duty, where he unexpectedly became a lights-out reliever. In eight relief appearances, his ERA is 1.40 and his WHIP is down to a stellar 0.828. This is good news for the Pirates bullpen, but it means the contending club needs to find a starter to fill in the very obvious gap.
The Pirates currently own the top wildcard spot, but their main competition both in front of and behind them resides in their own division. They are seven games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago Cubs are only two and a half games behind in the wildcard race. This is going to put a lot more weight on their remaining divisional games, because the Pirates will want to win any tiebreaker that they possibly can.
Top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow is promising, but he needs another year of minor league ball before being called up. Jameson Taillon is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and Indianapolis’ Nick Kingham would not be a surefire way to solidify the back end of the rotation. From the Pirates’ perspective, 15 Scott Kazmir starts sound much better than 15 more Jeff Locke starts, and that may be the difference between being home or away during the playoffs.
What do the A’s get in return?
Beane could approach this trade from two angles.
The first and more probable angle would be to target upper-tier prospects that are near Major League ready. The A’s are slated to lose a lot of their Major League roster to free agency in 2017, namely Josh Reddick, Sam Fuld, Coco Crisp, Ike Davis, and Jesse Chavez. So it would be prudent for Beane to target players that could spend 2016 in the minors and move up the following year.
That looks like a lot of outfielders, which is why Beane might have his sight set on Austin Meadows. This outfielder was Pittsburgh’s first draft pick in 2013, and is ranked 37th on MLB’s Top-100 prospects list. Although he is currently playing for A-Advanced Bradenton, he is projected to be MLB ready by 2017.
The second angle from which Beane could approach this trade is to prepare for an impending Ben Zobrist trade. The A’s would have an immediate need for middle infielders, and the Pirates have several in Neil Walker, Jordy Mercer, and Jung Ho Kang. Since the Pirates have control over Mercer and Kang’s contracts at least through 2019, they are probably most willing to deal Walker, who will be a free agent in 2017.
The A’s would certainly welcome Walker’s bat in their middle infield.
Next: The Chicago Cubs
Jun 17, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber(12) hits an RBI single in the third inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Cubs
Why the Cubs?
The Cubs are one of the more high-profile teams that are going for it all. By calling up Addison Russell and Kris Bryant, and acquiring Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero, and Dexter Fowler over the offseason, the Cubs have sent a signal that they are competitors in the NL Central.
Lester, Hammel, and Jake Arrieta are a formidable top three in a rotation. Kyle Hendricks has struggled at times this year, but he is also showing signs of coming around to the impressive form he displayed in 2014.
That leaves the revolving door that has been the Cubs’ fifth rotation spot this year. This role was entrusted to Travis Wood at the beginning of the year. However, after posting a 5.59 ERA through seven starts, the Cubs quickly moved him to the bullpen.
Tsuyoshi Wada was called up to fill the gap. He has not done badly, but he is currently battling an injury to his throwing shoulder. On June 28th, he was placed on the 15-Day Disabled List, and it is not clear if the Cubs have set a timetable for his return.
Donn Roach started in Wada’s stead in St. Louis on June 27th, and gave up eight hits and four runs in 3.1 innings. Although he has done well at Triple-A Iowa this season, the Cardinals exposed some of his weaknesses at the Major League level. The Cubs desperately want to replace him quickly.
What do the A’s get in return?
The Cubs are not likely to deal away any of the talent that is already in the big leagues. Their middle infield-heavy farm system may suggest that Starlin Castro is on the table, especially since Addison Russell can easily fill in that position, but Castro is a more expensive version of Marcus Semien. He is unlikely the kind of piece that the A’s are looking for.
Kyle Schwarber is a behemoth at the plate, which could make the Cubs reluctant to deal him. The Cubs are already loaded at the catcher position, though. Miguel Montero is signed until 2018, and David Ross was brought in to be Lester’s personal catcher. The Cubs are so loaded at catcher, that they already dealt Welington Castillo to the Seattle Mariners back in May.
The A’s are probably not seeking an everyday catcher since they already have Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley behind the plate for the foreseeable future. But Schwarber did play left field for Indiana in college. If the A’s pursue Schwarber, they would likely look to use him as a power bat in the outfield.
Next: The Toronto Blue Jays
Apr 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Dalton Pompey (45) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Blue Jays
Why Toronto?
The Blue Jays are in a position where they are in the race to win their division despite having one of the worst starting pitcher ERA’s in baseball. Blue Jays starters are pitching a lousy 4.37 ERA, which ranks 23rd in the Majors.
This is because Drew Hutchison and R.A. Dickey have not been living up to expectations, and Matt Boyd is currently filling in that fifth spot of the rotation. Mark Buehrle and Marco Estrada are the only Blue Jays starters that have maintained an ERA of under 4.00, and that is not a situation a contending team wants to be in.
At 42-38, the Blue Jays are only one game behind division-leading Baltimore, so adding a solid starter to their rotation will be a very crucial goal for them to achieve before the trade deadline. They have smashed their way into still being in the race, scoring the most runs in baseball by a wide margin, but that is not a sustainable strategy. The Blue Jays are several starters short of being a championship club, and they will certainly be hunting for one this month.
What do the A’s get in return?
…
Just kidding.
But the A’s could make a case for acquiring Dalton Pompey, the Blue Jays’ top rated position prospect. Pompey got off to a slow start during his Major League debut in 2014, and that continued into 2015, but he continues to punish minor league pitching at Triple-A Buffalo.
The emergence of Chris Colabello has made this plausible. The Blue Jays probably did not expect him to produce as much as he has after two mediocre seasons in Minnesota. As it stands, Colabello, Kevin Pillar, and Jose Bautista have given the Blue Jays one of the best hitting outfields in baseball this year. This makes Pompey a more tradeable piece.
Remember that the A’s are going to be hungry for outfielders in a couple of years, and one upgrade they will be interested in making is having a left fielder that hits well. Ever since the departure of Cespedes, there has been a noticeable lack of hitting from that position by Sam Fuld and Coco Crisp. Pompey has average power, but if he is able to put the ball in play at the Major League level, he would be a starting outfielder on most clubs.
Next: The New York Yankees
Jun 23, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher
CC Sabathia
(52) reacts after giving up a three-run home run by Philadelphia Phillies third baseman
Maikel Franco(7) during the fourth inning of an inter-league baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees
Why the Yankees?
To put it bluntly, CC Sabathia has been terrible. Over his last four starts, he has a 6.65 ERA through 23 innings. Only six of his 16 outings this year have been quality starts. The Yankees are only half a game out of first place, and they certainly intend to take advantage of their weak division to make a run for the playoffs this year. This will not be possible if, every fifth day, their starting pitcher goes 4.2 innings and gives up five runs.
The Yankees are second in the Majors in runs scored, as well as home runs. They are getting great performances from Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Chris Young this season. They are missing a little something that is keeping them from being a team that will go deep into the playoffs, but that something sure isn’t their offense.
Like the Blue Jays, the Yankees also have a starting pitcher ERA of 4.37, which ties these clubs for 23rd in the Majors.
With such good hitting and such inconsistent starting pitching, the Yankees are actually a remarkable parallel to the Blue Jays. Since both of these teams are competing for the same division title, they will probably be racing each other to fix their pitching woes.
What do the A’s get in return?
It would be a hefty price, but the Yankees might just be desperate enough to be willing to deal Jorge Mateo in exchange for a package including Kazmir.
Mateo is supposed to be the Yankees shortstop of the future. He has a lot of Billy Burns’ characteristics. MLB Prospect Pipeline notes that he has blazing speed, which is his key feature. He is also skilled at hitting the ball into gaps and away from shifts.
Mateo represents the most untouchable piece of all the players listed here, but that is also what the Athletics thought about Addison Russell leading up to the Fourth of July last year.