Open Thread: Trading Post

We're past the June Draft. We're approaching the All Star Game. We have a bit over a month till the July Trading Deadline. And we are past a third of the season, so we know what we got.

Now is the time to figure out what we need.

Looking at the roster construction, we do have some key weaknesses. The Middle Infield leaves much to be desired, with Jed Lowrie being great on offense, but maybe not so on defense, but the flexibility to play around the infield. Eric Sogard and Adam Rosales, on the other hand, are strangling the team. Adam Rosales has a .269 wOBA, with a -0.1 WAR thus far in to the season. Sogard has 0.4 WAR, but is also sporting a .295 wOBA. So there is definite room for improvement.

The biggest non-move upgrades might come from the outfield and behind the plate. Yoenis Cespedes has been worth a win and a half, while sporting a .320 wOBA that should improve going forward. Josh Reddick has half that WAR, but a .279 wOBA. Both of those outfielders should be doing better, and have the potential, but we need to figure out if we can get more out of their positions by replacing, promoting, or just letting them be. Chris Young, our Righty of the OF platoon, has really strugged as well with a .284 wOBA, but with the ability to cover in CF.

On the catcher side, Derek Norris is lagging behind on that front, with a .282 wOBA. Do we wait out Norris, or do we throw in the towel on him? I'm inclined to keep him, as I feel we won't be able to find as good an upgrade.

The final spots that could be upgraded are 1B and DH. We could definitely use a great slugging DH, though it would rob us of the ability to rotate our outfield. Nate Freiman, who has come around, still has poor overall numbers, but his splits show that he is crushing LHP, even as he fails horribly against RHP.

For the Rotation, aside from somehow acquiring a #1 starter, I do not know how much can be done there. The A's have a starting rotation that should be very good, but is also very young.

In the bullpen, the A's could use another top setup reliever to go along with Balfour, Cook, Blevins and Doolittle, the last of which has been struggling mightily as of late.

Positions of Interest:
2B
SS
OF
RP

Where can we improve on those areas, and who is available on the market?

Your rosterbating solutions begin now.