MLB Trade Rumors: Top 3 Oakland A's Trade Candidates

One of the sure-fire sellers this summer as we approach the trade deadline, as every year, will be the Oakland A's. After a half-decent start to the season, they're in a free-fall back to the bottom of the standings.

So the question will become, which Athletics players will be prime trade bait, and most in demand. Let's look at the top three candidates to be moved:

Brent Rooker

The outfielder/designated hitter will be the top Oakland hitter in demand after a strong start to the season. He's following up last year's breakout 30-HR campaign by hitting .294 with a .952 OPS, with 11 long balls and 32 RBIs in 39 games. His OPS+ is a robust 173. Still in his pre-arbitration years, the A's squeezed him with a minimum $750,000 contract for this season, and he's still under team control for three more seasons after this one. That fact could possibly preclude Oakland from trading him, but if they do, the 29-year-old will bring back a hefty package for the A's.

Paul Blackburn

The veteran right-hander is currently out for a few weeks with a foot injury, but was having a decent season before he went down and will be back in plenty of time in mid-June to continue to establish his value. He has a 4.11 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 8 starts.

Mason Miller

Miller is third on this list only because it would behoove the A's to keep the young flamethrower, rather than trade him. He's only 25 and is under team control until 2029, so there's really no reason to trade him. He's cheap now, and will be for a couple of more years.

As the Oakland closer, Miller is striking out an insane 18 batters per nine innings, and in 20.1 innings pitched he has allowed a mere seven hits and owns an obscene 41:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.89 ERA. It would be sheer insanity for the A's to trade him, but if he keeps up this type of performance, the offers from contenders could just be too big for the Athletics to turn down.