Everyone knew that the Oakland A’s were going to sell at the trade deadline. While Frankie Montas was an obvious trade candidate, there were other players that could end up being sent elsewhere.
In the end, the A’s only made a pair of deals involving three players, with Montas and Lou Trivino heading to the Yankees and Austin Allen being sent to the Cardinals. The fact that the likes of Elvis Andrus are still with the team may not be a surprise, but it is a disappointment. Likewise, the A’s apparently did not receive a sufficient offer for Sean Murphy or Paul Blackburn despite rumors swirling around both players over the past few weeks.
Grading the Oakland A’s trade deadline performance
While the A’s did not quite receive the same return for Montas and Trivino that the Reds did for Luis Castillo, they were still able to bring back a strong haul. Ken Waldichuk is easily the top pitcher in their and adds another top 100 prospect to the organization. JP Sears should help in the rotation soon. Luis Medina could make an impact as a high leverage arm in the bullpen. And Cooper Bowman is an impressive athlete with speed who could make an impact if he develops properly.
Allen was sent to St. Louis for minor league pitcher Carlos Guarate. The 21 year old has spent the season in A-ball, posting a 4.18 ERA and a 1.367 WHiP over his 75.1 innings, striking out 59 batters with 24 walks. He has a fastball that sits in the low 90s that he tends to use up in the zone. His 12-6 curve is a plus offering, and one that he uses well with the heater. He also has a solid changeup and tends to throw all three pitches for strikes. The issue is that his mechanics, particularly his stride, can be inconsistent, leading to command issues.
The biggest knock on the A’s deadline is that they did not do more. Andrus serves zero purpose to this franchise. Murphy could have brought back a solid return and opened up playing time for Shea Langeliers. Considering the return for other pitchers, Blackburn could have brought back a solid haul. Even Jed Lowrie, who was activated on Tuesday, could have brought something back. Instead, they are all still in Oakland, leaving the A’s with a B- for the deadline.
The Oakland A’s did what was expected of them at the trade deadline. The biggest problem is that it feels like they could have done even more.