The Daily Bernie, 7/23/15: Oakland A's officially open for business

Welcome back to The Daily Bernie! It's the best dance in the game, so let's get rolling once more!

• Expect the A's to deal some veterans within these next nine days. Oakland is "perceived in the industry to be officially open for business", as Buster Olney of ESPN tweets. He reports that lefty Scott Kazmir and super-utility man Ben Zobrist are among pieces that interest other clubs. Other players that could be dealt include reliever Tyler Clippard, righty Jesse Chavez, and right fielder Josh Reddick (although at the time it seems unlikely that Reddick is moved). It's finally time to refresh Twitter every ten seconds! Congratulations, everyone, we've made it!

• Poorly timed injuries could have a massive impact on the trade market. For starters (literally!), Royals lefty Jason Vargas has torn his left UCL, as the team announced on Twitter. A UCL tear is usually a precursor to the dreaded Tommy John Surgery, which would be a terrible blow to an already-weak Royals rotation. Righty Yordano Ventura, demoted to Triple-A on Tuesday, was recalled to take Vargas' spot. Kansas City, who had already shown interest in top starters such as Johnny Cueto and Scott Kazmir, seems like an even better bet to add a starter after this injury.

• Another key injury could be that to Nationals infielder (and former Athletic) Yunel Escobar. Escobar seemed to hurt his left hand or wrist after being jammed by a nasty Noah Syndergaard sinker. Initial X-rays returned negative, but Escobar will undergo further tests, as Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports. The results of those tests remain unknown, but should Escobar miss significant time, Ben Zobrist would make even more sense for the Nationals. They have already reportedly inquired on Zobrist on many occasions, along with ex-National Tyler Clippard.

• Some notes from around the league: the Blue Jays "would consider" trading for righty Dan Haren (link); trading for Zobrist would be "a long shot" for the Mets (link); the Orioles would consider moving young righty Kevin Gausman to strengthen their major league team (link) and are also looking to dump the struggling Bud Norris (link); the Cubs have shown preliminary interest in Tigers lefty David Price (link); Angels third baseman David Freese will hit the disabled list with a fractured right thumb (link).

Bernie's Daily Deal: Ben Zobrist, Tyler Clippard, and Sam Fuld to the Washington Nationals for Michael Taylor, Austin Voth, and Victor Robles

The A's might get an opportunity to catch the Nationals when they're most desperate, especially if Escobar does have to miss an extended amount of time. Zobrist makes perfect sense for the Nationals, due to all of their injury concerns. Clippard would strengthen their bullpen (their only real weakness) and Fuld would help add more outfield depth, especially with outfielder Michael Taylor heading to Oakland.

Taylor is a player the two teams have reportedly discussed in the past. The 24 year-old is a strong defensive outfielder that offers a nice power-speed combo from the right side of the plate. His high strikeouts are a concern, but if he can even cut his K rate down to 25%, his speed and defense will make him a very valuable player. Voth, 23, is a right-handed starter enjoying a breakout season in Double-A. He has posted 104 strikeouts against 24 walks in 110 innings, along with a 2.95 ERA (2.73 FIP). Voth would likely be MLB-ready in early 2016. Finally, Robles is a high-upside Low-A outfielder. The 18 year-old is slashing an insane .369/.476/.571 between Low-A and Rookie ball in 2015, with as many walks as strikeouts and great speed. Robles is risky, and is a long time away from the big leagues, but the right-handed hitter has the potential to be a real impact player down the road.

That's all for today. The A's take on the Toronto Blue Jays once more at 12:35 P.M. PST in the finale of the three game series. Feel free to dump any links in the comments below. Until tomorrow - lean on, A's fans!