Elephant Rumblings: Reactions to the Chris Bassitt trade

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

Just like that, baseball has shifted from stuck in the mud to high gear. The Oakland A’s front office went straight to work after the MLB lockout ended last Thursday. A flurry of moves transpired over the weekend, none more notable than the trade on Saturday that will send Chris Bassitt to the Mets.

Obviously, we’re all sad to see the departure of one of Oakland’s top starters and team leaders. Bassitt himself posted this bittersweet farewell tweet yesterday:

We will miss CBass, and we will likely be missing more of our favorite stars all too soon. But in terms of facilitating a team rebuild, how good is this trade for the A’s on a purely transactional level? Do the Mets pitching prospects netted in return measure up? It’s always nearly impossible to say for sure with prospects, but on balance the deal is seen as a fair one by our own Alex Hall and Nico, as well as many others outside our community.

David Schoenfield at ESPN likes the deal better for the Mets, grading the trade a B+ for them and giving the A’s a C on the transaction. However, this take seems to be coming from more of a win-now perspective. Shoenfield remarks that the trade is “mostly a downer for A’s fans, the first sign that 2022 may be a long season.” Hard to argue there.

But as Steve Berman at The Athletic points out, the A’s could be getting a bit of “now and later” out of the deal. Righty J.T. Ginn was ranked the Mets’ seventh best prospect by Keith Law, and even higher according to some other sources. Ginn is the bigger get for the A’s in this trade, but Adam Oller is nearer to MLB-ready, having pitched well in AAA last year. With more of the A’s rotation potentially on the trade block, Oller could fortify a thinning staff sooner than later.

Probably the biggest takeaway of the deal is that the A’s are indeed committed to a rebuild rather than looking for a quick retool. So tighten your belts for now and dream of a new era of A’s baseball at Howard Terminal.

Bassitt Reactions:

The Bassitt trade elicited reactions from all over A’s media, showing just how beloved he was to his teammates, fans, and media alike.

The Hound had an incredible journey here.

His emotional press conferences endeared him to A’s fans every bit as much as his pitching.

Us too, Frankie.

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

A’s Coverage:

• Hall: A’s trade Chris Bassitt to Mets for two prospects
• Nico: And So It Begins...
• Hall: Scouting reports: J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller, new A’s prospects
• Hall: A’s free agents: Red Sox sign Jake Diekman, White Sox sign Josh Harrison
• Hall: A’s claim pitcher Sam Selman off waivers
• Hall: A’s sign pitcher Austin Pruitt to minor league contract
• Polishuk: Details On The Athletics’ Revenue-Sharing Status
• Kawahara: Ramón Laureano rejoins A’s in camp, still under suspension but healthy after surgery ($)
• Kawahara: A’s Matt Chapman on trade rumors: ‘No matter what happens, I’ll be prepared’ ($)
• Gallegos: Chappy focused on ‘22, not trade speculation
• Rosenthal: Could the Dodgers add Freddie Freeman and Nelson Cruz? Is Matt Chapman a fit for the Phillies? ($)
• Rosenthal: Athletics trade RHP Chris Bassitt to Mets for prospects JT Ginn and Adam Oller: Source ($)
• Berman: The A’s traded Chris Bassitt, and this is just the beginning ($)
• Law: As Mets deal prospects again, how much did they give up? Did Twins, Rangers fill gaps with trade? ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Hall: MLB transactions resume: Kershaw, Rodon, Kikuchi, Kiner-Falefa, Simmons
• Hall: MLB transactions update: Donaldson, Sonny, Suzuki, Chavez, Familia
• Polishuk: Yankees Acquire Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ben Rortvedt From Twins For Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela
• Zencka: Twins Acquire Sonny Gray From Reds
• McDonald and Dierkes: Nationals To Sign Nelson Cruz
• Bowden: How MLB GM jobs will change in 10 key areas post-lockout under the new CBA ($)
• Connolly: Former reliever Jim Poole joins a short list of ex-MLB players to have Lou Gehrig’s Disease ($)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

It must be difficult for the Matts to not hit the ball 400 feet.

I would not ignore a Matt Chapman text.

Will Chappy’s bat be back in 2022? Literally?

How about the other Matt?

If Libby can get Howard Terminal done, it will be a glorious Schaaf-ter in Bay Area sports history.

I mean, the Mets are frankly looking like a fun team to watch this year.