Welcome to the offseason, everyone! Enjoy the next six months. There will be playoff games we don't really care about, sobbing, roster construction ideas, grieving, hot stove talk, crying, and trades. Many, many trades.

The A's have a bit of work to do, with very few spots on their roster firmly set. There will just be so many trades. I know we are all looking forward to it. For the purpose of this exercise, I'm going to focus on non-free agent position players, and ones who would be on the Opening Day roster. No low-level prospects, no pitchers. So let's get to it.

The targets!

Budding, potential All-Stars that would cost Sonny Gray

If one were to be inclined to trade Sonny Gray, there would be no shortage of suitors. Given the fact that Gray is an established All-Star with four years of control remaining, any package for him could likely include a young, major league ready future star.

Blake Swihart or Jackie Bradley, Jr.

So, let's start with the most obvious fit for a Gray trade, Boston. With the A's light on left-handed bats, and a fairly weak defense, the Red Sox match up well with the A's. The Red Sox have a Gold Glove-caliber young catcher who switch-hits, and a Gold Glove-caliber young centerfielder who hits left-handed.

Swihart is the switch-hitting catcher, entering his age 24 season. He was ranked in the top-20 just about every prospect list that's publicly available prior to 2015. Even at his young age, Swihart held his own with a .274/.319/.392 line in 309 PAs. He's shown a consistent ability to hit for average in the minor leagues, and you know the platoon-happy A's are always looking for catchers who can hit from the left side of the plate. Swihart would allow you to move Stephen Vogt to 1B (or possibly free Vogt up for a trade).That's very valuable, and even against LHP, you can DH him while putting Phegley behind the plate. Swihart offers a lot of versatility and a lot of upside.

Bradley is a former top prospect who collapsed offensively in 2014, but rebounded in 2015 with a great second half. There are not enough words to describe how bad his 2014 was at the plate. He hit .198/.265/.266 in 423 MLB plate appearances. Truly awful. HOWEVER, check this out, his defense is so damn good that he was still able to be, by Fangraphs and BB-Ref standards, slightly above replacement level even while cracking out a wRC+ of 46. He had a UZR/150 of +23 that season, which is pretty incredible. In 2015, he was riding the shuttle between AAA and Fenway for much of the season. He played a few games in May, and went 0-11. He got called back up in June, and went 4-22. Then he got called up for the third and final time in late July and that's when everything clicked. From July 29th through the end of the season, Bradley went on a tear and hit .267/.352/.539 with 9 homers in 220 PAs. He was playing RF primarily, as the Red Sox have Mookie Betts firmly planted in CF. With Bradley, we're talking about possibly the best defensive centerfielder in the game, with a high-risk high-reward offensive skill set. Cautious optimism about Bradley is advised. Tantalizing to think about that CF defense, though. Just for a moment, think about the range that a Burns-Bradley-Reddick outfield would have...

Quick note - if you're looking at these guys in Boston, take a peak at a possible piece that could be included in a deal, Travis Shaw. Shaw's left-handed first-baseman who, at age 25, hit .249/.335/.491 with 13 HRs in 248 PAs in the majors last year. Kind of interesting, not too exciting, and a possible third or fourth piece in a deal.

Greg Bird

Bird you may recognize from the Astros-Yankees play-in game. He took over at 1B after Mark Teixeira went down with an injury, and he never looked back. Bird hit .261/.343/.529 with 11 homers in 178 PAs with the Yankees, at the young age of 22. It's not likely that he has the upside of an Anthony Rizzo, but you can't argue with the numbers he put up at a young age. The Yankees have Teixeira and A-Rod at 1B and DH for next season, so there's a possibility that Bird may be an expendable chip. Tex is a free agent after next season, though, so Bird may be the heir apparent. New York needs pitching, the A's need middle-of-the-order bats (preferably left-handed), so it's something to look into. Bird might end up being similar to Matt Olson, though.

Javier Baez

With Addison Russell and Kris Bryant on the left side of the infield for years to come, former top-10 prospect Javier Baez is the odd man out at Wrigley Field. Being the odd man out does not mean that you're a bad player, though. Baez is the epitome of high-risk high-reward. He was one of the most lauded prospects in baseball for a few years after being drafted 9th overall by the Cubs in 2011, out of Puerto Rico. Baez has drawn comps to Gary Sheffield for his incredible batspeed and power potential. The Epstein/Hoyer regime in Chicago was not the one that drafted Baez, and it's been pretty widely speculated that the Cubs will look to use their infield surplus to bolster their rotation. There is no denying Baez's upside, or his downside, which is that of a Long Island Duck. If you're willing to take a big risk, though, Baez is sitting there with his "40-HR shortstop" potential.

Michael Taylor

Not THAT Michael Taylor. This Michael Taylor profiles more like Chris Young. Yes, THAT Chris Young, only the version that played for the Diamondbacks, not the A's. Taylor is nearly Jackie Bradley-status in centerfield. A right-handed hitter, Taylor struggled at the plate in 2015 with a .229/.282/.358 line at age 24. He was rushed to the majors a bit, getting the call up after the injury to Jayson Werth. Taylor's minor league resume is that of a highly athletic 20-20 guy who will strike out a lot. Again, that's 2011 Chris Young, give or take. The Nats also have a slew of young starters (Joe Ross, AJ Cole, etc.), so it's possible that adding another ace to go along with Scherzer/Strasburg isn't their top priority.

Worth noting: it's been reported that when the Nationals asked for Ben Zobrist at the deadline, the A's asked for Taylor in return.

Left-handed Outfielders

I love the idea of having a platoon mate with Jake Smolinski in left-field. A platoon of any of these guys, with Smolinski, would yield 20-homer production with a respectable OBP.

Charlie Blackmon

An All-Star in 2014 (no, seriously), Charlie Blackmon and his beard have patrolled centerfield for the Rockies the past few seasons. His career line against RHP is .291/.341/.447, although due to the Coors Field Effect, that's only good for a wRC+ of 100. He racked up 43 stolen bases (!) in 56 attempts last season. Blackmon is entering his age-29 season and has three years of team control remaining.

Corey Dickerson

Dickerson had a great season in 2014, posting a .312/.364/.567 line in 131 games. He was hampered by injuries this past season, which limited him to 65 games. Even after factoring in Coors Field, Dickerson has been a fantastic performer against RHP, with a career wRC+ of 139. He would, likely, cost quite a bit in terms of prospects, but his upside is also huge. He is entering his age-27 season and has four years of team control.

Scott Schebler

Maybe my favorite target of the winter, Scott Schebler is a pure platoon-OF. He is basically the same player Jake Smolinski is, except he hits lefty. Entering his age-25 season, Schebler is a classic lefty-platoon bat. He is like a young Seth Smith. He's blocked, and he's MLB-ready (despite his regressed production in AAA last season). I wrote about him here in July. He still fits our team like a glove.

Andre Ethier

The former A's-farmhand is much older and much more expensive than anyone else on this list, but he's been a consistently fantastic hitter against RHP for most of his career. He is owed $38M over the next two seasons, at ages 34 and 35. The Dodgers were reported to be willing to move him before the season, while eating most of his salary. If that's still the case, the A's may be able to squeeze the rest of his value over the next two years as a platoon-LF. Worth noting that Ethier and Schebler have very similar skillsets, and with Crawford/Pederson/Puig in their outfield, it's likely that one of the two will be trade bait. Considering LA's interest in Jesse Chavez, there may be a match here.

Also, note that Brandon Moss is another possible fit here, though it is unlikely that he will be tendered a contract by the Cardinals (MLBTR had his projected arbitration price at about $8M).

Traditional 4th Outfielders

Sam Fuld and Craig Gentry just are not cutting it anymore. Time to find a new Craig Gentry. A speedy outfielder with experiences in all three outfield positions, who can change the game on defense and the basepaths. Preferably, but not necessarily, a right-handed hitter. The ability to play centerfield is a must.

Jake Marisnick

The deadline deal that brought Carlos Gomez to Houston turned Marisnick into a 4th outfielder. With Gomez, George Springer, and Preston Tucker in tow (along with a possible extension of Colby Rasmus) the Astros appear set in the outfield in the short-term. Marisnick, acquired from the Marlins last offseason, is a right-handed hitter who made three consecutive Baseball America Top 100 lists between 2012 and 2014. Last year, in his age 23-season, he put up a .236/.281/.383 line in 372 plate appearances with the Astros. Marisnick has a bunch of upside, and he is still a good fit for the Astros roster, but the A's should be knocking on Houston's door asking about him.

Peter Bourjos

He was Craig Gentry before there was Craig Gentry. A slap-hitting, right-handed defensive whiz, Bourjos has had a solid career as a bench piece. He is 29 and only has one year of team control left. The Cardinals have Randal Grichuk (acquired in the same trade with LAA that Bourjos was in) primed to take over a roving 4th-outfielder role, so it may be time to send Bourjos out. I have to point out, though, that Bourjos really can't hit, and he has no experience in corner outfield spots. Every inning he has played in the majors has been in centerfield. Not a wildly appealing target, and a possible non-tender candidate.

The Shortstops

Brad Miller

This is a shortstop who hits left-handed. A true shortstop, not a Marcus Semien. Miller may be squeezed out of a position in Seattle if the new Mariners brass believes in Ketel One Ketel Marte as a long term answer, with Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano rounding out their infield. Miller is a solid player who is an above-average defender at SS and he has a career wRC+ of 99 in 1,243 PAs in the majors. He's coming into his prime, with four years of team control left (between the ages of 26 and 29.) Just because he's possibly expendable does not mean that he will be cheap. The Mariners, however, need a lot of help at various spots on the diamond, and landing a long-term answer at SS like Miller would fit the A's nicely.

Didi Gregorius

Another left-handed shortstop who is under team control from ages 26 to 29, Gregorius was the heir to Derek Jeter's spot in the Bronx. He had a solid season in New York, but nothing spectacular. The Yankees have never been known to settle for average-ish play, however, and in the event that they go out and land a star SS, Gregorius could be on the move. It's unlikely, but you never know who the Yankees will throw money at.

Deven Marrero

Former 1st-round pick out of Arizona State, current Boston Red Sox farmhand. 70-grade defender with an iffy hit-tool. Definitely expendable, with Xander Bogaerts on the roster. Not too exciting, but a non-zero chance of having a Brandon Crawford-like emergence on offense. Defense alone makes him a major leaguer, but the offense is what will determine whether he's a backup infielder or a starter.

Anybody else?

So that's my quick list of ideas. Anyone else out there that I may be missing? Your turn.