MLB Rumors: 2 Oakland A's Pitchers Most Likely To Be Dealt

It's pretty much a given that as soon as baseball business resumes, the Oakland A's will be wheeling and dealing. Their stated mission is to reduce payroll, and they'll be selling off some major assets. Both on the hitting and pitching side. The case of Matt Olson has been covered at length here recently, but let's have a look at the two most likely pitchers to be dealt off a very strong starting staff.

Chris Bassitt

The 33-year-old hurler has made himself into a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter the past few years, routinely posting an ERA+ well above the league average, with a 27-11 record over the last three seasons, and being named an All-Star for the first time in 2021. 

He suffered a horrific injury later last season when he took a comebacker to the face, which sidetracked his Cy Young candidacy, but it shouldn't affect his production in the coming season. In fact, he's already making jokes about it at his own expense:

Hey siri remind me every day:
Catch liners with your glove not your face. Thanks.

— Chris Bassitt (@C_Bass419) February 6, 2022

"Hey siri remind me every day: Catch liners with your glove not your face. Thanks." Now that's the right attitude. 

Bassitt will be a free agent after the 2022 season, and undoubtedly out of the A's price range. 

Teams on the hunt for a veteran of Bassitt's caliber included the A's division rivals  Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. The Angels and M's have already spent some cash on their starting staffs in the free agent market (Noah Syndergaard and Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, respectively), while the Rangers have simply spent big-time cash bolstering their offense; all three have eyes on continuing to improve their staffs to give them a shot at contending for the division crown. 

Sean Manaea

Like Bassitt, Manaea will be a free agent after the '22 season, and his agent is Scott Boras. All of which means he'll be on his way out of Oakland one way or another at some point this year.

The 30-year-old lefty posted a 3.91 ERA last season, and stayed healthy the full year, re-establishing himself as a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. 

Teams like the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs are looking to upgrade their rotations, and could target Manaea. For the Yankees, perhaps they could work on a package deal focused around their major trade target, a teammate of Manaea's who's also on the A's trade block. 

Frankie Montas is much younger than either of these two, and has an extra year of team control, so although a trade is possible, it would seem to be more unlikely.

Photo Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports, Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports