Frankie Montas trade rumors: Oakland A’s telling teams if they are out

The Oakland A’s may move the trade deadline along by not trading Frankie Montas. At least, by not trading him just yet.

According to Jon Heyman, the A’s are letting teams know if they have been eliminated from the Frankie Montas Sweepstakes. Heyman also notes that the Yankees are still involved in the case because that seems to be a contractual obligation.

Oakland A’s moving trade deadline along in Frankie Montas talks

This strategy works on two different levels. First, it allows those teams to move on, looking at their secondary options in the trade market and moving the process along. By doing that, the A’s open up more avenues of communication and could have an easier time making future trades since they did not waste everyone’s time.

Second, it allows the A’s to narrow down their options. If only a handful of teams are remaining, they can use them to bid against one another. Once a team has reached its limit and there are better offers out there, they are done as a contender. It moves the process along.

And that is an important aspect this time of year. The A’s want to get as good of a return as possible, especially after the trade for Luis Castillo. Teams want to be able to improve their roster and not wait to find out if they are still involved in trade discussions. There is no point otherwise.

It also signifies that Montas is getting close to being dealt. The A’s would not be eliminating teams if they were unsure of the return they were getting. At least one team seems willing to come close enough to the package of players that the A’s want.

The Oakland A’s are eliminating teams from the Frankie Montas Sweepstakes. Chances are, that means a trade will be getting closer.