Proposed Yankees, Oakland A’s trade does not quite work

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 23: Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics runs the bases after hitting a homer un during the game against the Seattle Mariners at RingCentral Coliseum on August 23, 2021 in Oakland, California. The Mariners defeated the Athletics 5-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 23: Matt Olson #28 of the Oakland Athletics runs the bases after hitting a homer un during the game against the Seattle Mariners at RingCentral Coliseum on August 23, 2021 in Oakland, California. The Mariners defeated the Athletics 5-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)

Former general manager Jim Bowden has been busy fielding hypothetical trade offers during his articles. It is not a surprise that the Oakland A’s would be the subject of so many of those possible deals, especially considering their stated desire to slash payroll. That was the case with another proposed deal from a fan; this time, involving the Yankees.

In this hypothetical deal, the Yankees would send prospects Oswald PerazaYoendrys Gomez, and Austin Wells, along with pitcher Luis Gil to the A’s for Matt Olson and a pitcher. Bowden felt that trade would be too lopsided in the A’s favor unless that unnamed pitcher was Chris Bassitt.

Proposed trade between Yankees, Oakland A’s does not work

The trade is lopsided, but not the way that Bowden thinks, especially if Bassitt is involved. Peraza, Gil, Gomez, and Wells are top ten prospects in the Yankees system, but Peraza is the only top 100 prospect of the group. If the A’s do trade Olson, they should be able to get more than one top 100 prospect, especially if Bassitt is involved.

It is also strange to have the Yankees consider this trade without including Luke Voit. The Yankees have been attempting to find a trading partner for the first baseman without much success. If the A’s were to send Olson to New York, Voit would make sense as part of the return.

He would be a potential lottery ticket for the A’s. Should Voit return to the form he showed previously, especially in 2020, he could be a potential trade chip at the deadline, allowing Oakland to bring back even more prospects.

This trade also includes pieces that may not be a fit for Oakland. Nick Allen is on the cusp of the majors and Sean Murphy has plenty of team control left. Unless the idea would be to move Peraza or Allen to second, it would not make much sense to target a shortstop. The same can be said with Wells, especially with Tyler Soderstrom waiting in the wings.

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Matt Olson and Chris Bassitt would be a good fit for the Yankees. The problem is that they do not have pieces that fit well with the Oakland A’s.