The Athletics have been a lost cause for weeks, and now the rest of the league is treating them accordingly. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, rival clubs have started calling Oakland about their major league outfielders, hoping to flip pitching help back for bodies who can play right now. That's the deadline-week signal that a team has officially stopped pretending it's competing.
A's Receiving Trade Interest In Their Major League Outfielders t.co/wui7YkoqB6
The names being connected aren't the ones A's fans might expect. Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler, both of whom signed extensions within the last 18 months that lock them up through at least 2032, are considered off-limits — even with Butler's production sagging since he signed his deal. That leaves the actual trade bait a tier down: Carlos Cortes, a 29-year-old who's hit .291/.349/.477 with 11 homers in 338 plate appearances since debuting last year, and Henry Bolte, a 22-year-old defensive-minded center fielder hitting .264/.343/.352 with 11 steals in his first taste of the majors.
It's a thin market by design. Denzel Clarke, who'd probably be the most intriguing name of the bunch given his upside in center, has been on the 60-day IL since April with a hamstring injury and isn't expected back until August — conveniently after the deadline. So Oakland's actually available outfield inventory is smaller than the headline suggests, and that scarcity could push a motivated contender to overpay for a complementary piece.
None of this should shock anyone who's watched this A's season unfold. Oakland is deep in a free fall, and the front office has already made clear the club is open to moving pretty much anything that isn't nailed down — extension recipients aside. Jeff McNeil's disastrous year makes him a pure salary dump if he goes anywhere, and Zack Gelof, currently on the 10-day IL, is unlikely to be touched given he's finally showing signs of life at the plate.
This is what selling looks like for a rebuilding club with almost no impact bats left to dangle: teams sniffing around the middle of the roster for a bench upgrade, not a blockbuster. The trade deadline lands Monday, August 3rd at 6 p.m. ET, and unless a contender falls in love with Cortes' bat or Bolte's glove, Oakland's outfield business figures to stay quiet and cheap right up until the buzzer.