FanPost

Early Athletics' Offseason Trade Chips, Part One

Alright, so maybe this is premature. There are still nearly 60 games left in the season, and then (hopefully) a bunch more in October. However, if I were to wait to write and post this series, not only would I have competition with others writing similar articles, but you would all be too focused on your shiny rings to read a series of FanPosts by some occasional poster. So, here it is now.

One issue with posting this now is, who knows what happens in the final week or so until the deadline? I will be basing each article off of the team at the time of posting. One last note before we begin - I am not hoping for any of these players to be traded. I am not suggesting that any of these players WILL be traded. I am just naming some possibilities. Let's get started.

The first name I will be throwing at you all this week will spark some controversy for sure. Yoenis Cespedes was signed as a free agent from Cuba prior to the 2012 season, on a four year deal. By the terms of the contract, he will not have to go through arbitration and will therefore become a free agent after the 2015 season. At the time of the signing, it was practically unanimous that Cespedes would be kept for a few years, and then dealt off for prospects in the final year of the deal.

Then, 2012 happened. Cespedes and the Oakland A's took the baseball world by storm. Finding a permanent home in left field, Yoenis hit .292, with 23 big flies and 16 stolen bases, en route to a second place finish in Rookie of the Year voting behind the slegnA's young God, Mike Trout. The future was bright for Yoenis, until a disappointing 2013 saw him hit .240 with an OBP below .300. The power was still there, but he just wasn't good.

This year, Cespedes has kind of found a middle ground. His running game has been shut down, but as of 7/26, he is hitting .254 with 16 bombs and a cannon of an arm, leading MLB in outfield assists (many due to his own stupidity). He helped represent the A's in Minnesota for the All-Star game, his first selection.

So why trade Cespedes? He's a huge fan favorite, can provide a spark to the lineup, and La Potencia has even higher potential than he has shown so far. So why trade him? Well, we can dream, but Cespedes will most likely not be extended. He would have to take a major hometown discount, a contract similar to what he signed out of Cuba for, and I just don't see that happening. Also, Cespedes is a great talent and a big name, but I can't help to think he's a bit overrated. A decent power hitter, never walks, bad left fielder with a rocket of an arm to make up for it, iffy batting average, not running any more...doesn't scream franchise player to me. Also, Cespedes will be 29 years old in 2015, near the end of his prime.

Looking at teams, there are quite a few in need of outfield help. The Yankees, if Carlos Beltran never comes around, come to mind. But they have next to nothing the A's would want, in the MLB or in their farm. How about the Seattle Mariners? Plenty of prospects, need a righty outfield bat, but no way would I send Cespedes to help a team that already has our number. So then we come across the Boston Red Sox. Awful outfield? Check. Prospects galore? Check. Shouldn't bite us in the butt? Check! With the Red Sox, the talent seems as endless as their pocketbooks. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Brock Holt, Anthony Ranaudo, Henry Owens, Allen Webster, Garrin Cecchini, Matt Barnes...excuse me, I have to wipe the drool off of my keyboard. If the A's could acquire two or more of these talents for Cespedes in the offseason? I'd miss Cespy, but I'd love the trade.

But who replaces Cespedes in left field? Well, you could go internal and go with Craig Gentry, Brandon Moss, or Stephen Vogt. Or, you could check some interesting options on the free agent market: Melky Cabrera, Michael Morse, Jonny Gomes, Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer. Between the over $20 million coming of the books from the contracts of Jim Johnson, Alberto Callaspo, Luke Gregerson, and Nick Punto, plus the $10 million or so that Cespedes would be owed in 2015, surely the A's could afford a replacement.

So there we have it. Maybe the national face of the Athletics may be a good trade chip for the offseason. Next week, we will talk about another player who was a first time All-Star in 2014. Leave your thoughts on trading Cespedes in the comments. Who knows if Beane will deal him or not? What we do know is, whatever Beane does, nobody will see it coming.