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3 players Oakland A’s should trade this offseason

By David Hill

Sep 25, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a double against the New York Mets during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy (12) hits a double against the New York Mets during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oakland A’s fire sale is underway. And it is not close to being over.

One can certainly argue that they do not have much left to tear down. After all, they do not have a single guaranteed contract on the books for next year. Only a handful of players are even eligible for arbitration, and of that group, it is likely that Billy McKinney and Deolis Garcia will not be tendered an offer.

Three offseason trade candidates for Oakland A’s

Chances are, that is not going to be enough for John Fisher. He has gone out of his way to pocket every cent possible. If that means trading players while they are eligible for arbitration, no matter where they are in the process, he will likely order such moves be done. Can the A’s have a roster of all minimum salaried players? He’ll likely try.

The Oakland A’s fire sale is not over. Let’s take a look at three players that could find themselves on the trade block this offseason.

Sean Murphy

It is a matter of when, not if, Sean Murphy is traded.

That almost happened at the trade deadline. Both the Guardians and Red Sox thought they were close to a deal for the Oakland A’s Gold Glove catcher. It would not be a surprise at all if those talks resumed once transactions were allowed once again during the offseason.

Murphy is easily the A’s best trade chip. He is not just a Gold Glove caliber catcher, but he can hit for power and has drastically improved his approach at the plate this season. His 121 OPS+ leads the A’s, as do his 37 doubles, and he is second on the team with 18 homers. Add in the fact that he is just entering arbitration and Murphy would be the perfect piece for a team looking for a long term answer behind the plate.

His availability also highlights one strength of the A’s. Shea Langeliers has nothing else to prove in the minors and is ready to prove himself in the majors. Tyler Soderstrom and Daniel Susac are two of the A’s best prospects and both have spent most of their time behind the plate. Moving Murphy to get pieces that the A’s need to emerge from the rebuild makes sense.

The Oakland A’s are going to trade Sean Murphy this offseason. The Red Sox, Guardians, and Marlins could be amongst the favorites.