The Daily Bernie, 7/20/16: Oakland A’s surge out of All-Star Break

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

• The A’s continued their recent success with a wild 4-3 walk-off win on Tuesday night against the Houston Astros. Centerfielder Coco Crisp was thrown out trotting to third base on what he thought was a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. In reality, it was a game-tying RBI double, and the Athletics would go on to win in the tenth as Josh Reddick’s grounder squeaked through the shift and scored Marcus Semien from second. The team has won four out of five since the break, and the overall record sits at a palatable 42-52. Before the game was the A’s annual Root Beer Float Night, and this year the organization raised over $38,000 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. For more on this wacky game, check out TuffsBuffs’ recap.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers could deal Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig in the coming weeks, as Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports. Despite the hype and prior success, Puig has simply been sub-par this season, posting a 92 wRC+ so far. He is still only 25, signed to an extremely affordable contract, and was a 5-fWAR player as recently as 2014, so he should be worth quite a bit in a trade. The Dodgers have shown interest in both Reddick and Reds outfielder Jay Bruce as possible replacements.
• The Nationals have shown interest in Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. Blackmon, 30, is a solid centerfielder with about an average bat and plenty of speed. He would represent a significant upgrade over the incumbent Michael Taylor, who has a lot of talent but has struggled quite a bit in Washington this season.
• Jurrickson Profar of the Texas Rangers has been receiving trade attention, as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. The Rangers might be willing to move the infielder for top-quality rotation help. Profar, only 23, has posted a stellar .318/.366/.455 slash line for the club in what has been a breakout season for him. However, defensive metrics haven’t loved him, and he only has three years of team control remaining after 2016 due to the time he spent on the disabled list recovering from his prior shoulder injuries. While he is certainly talented, Profar does have his warts, and if I were the Rangers I’d be looking to sell high on him.
• It is seeming more and more likely that the New York Yankees will, at the very least, move flamethrower Aroldis Chapman prior to the deadline, as Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that the club is “going full bore” in examining potential fits. Chapman, the top reliever on the market, would net a significant return for New York, despite his incoming free agency.

Bernie’s Daily Deal: Marc Rzepczynski to the Cleveland Indians for Greg Allen

The Indians desperately need relief help and are actively searching for it, having been recently connected to arms such as Chapman. However, they could certainly use more than one addition, and a reunion with former Indian Rzepczynski would fortify and deepen their ‘pen.

This trade is very similar to 2013’s Jerry Blevins trade, in which the lefty was sent to the Washington Nationals for Billy Burns. Greg Allen is similar to Burns, as both are switch-hitting outfielders with quite a bit of speed. However, Allen has also posted very respectable walk and strikeout rates, and even a bit of power. As a 23 year-old repeating High-A, Allen is certainly a very fringy prospect. However, if he pans out, he could become what we all hoped Burns would.

That’s all for today. Daniel Mengden takes the mound against his former organization at 12:35 PM. Doug Fister will be throwing for Houston, as Oakland goes for the sweep. Feel free to dump any links in the comments below. Until next time - lean on, A’s fans!