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What’s Their Situation?
The Oakland Athletics currently find themselves second in the American League West with a record of 52-40. They are 3.5 games back of the Houston Astros and have a 3.5 game lead on the Seattle Mariners for the 2nd Wild Card spot. Ideally, this is a team angling for a postseason berth. Unlikely to have the firepower necessary to catch Houston, hanging onto a Wild Card spot and going from there would seem to be a good goal.
Traditionally the Athletics aren’t big spenders, but it’s hardly uncommon for them to see their names in the thick of things when the dust settles on the season. After beating the White Sox in the Wild Card round a year ago, Oakland would love to exact revenge against the division-rival Astros, who they bowed out against in the Division Series.
What Do They Need?
Bob Melvin’s club could probably use a bit more hitting help than pitching, given they’re within the top 10 in the latter while being outside it in the former. There’s power in the lineup, but the designated hitter spot could use an upgrade, and that’s exactly where rumors have them focusing. Jon Heyman recently noted that Oakland would be seen as a legitimate landing spot for the services of Twins slugger Nelson Cruz.
Oakland’s starters have been a top 10 group in baseball, but their bullpen has compiled just the 21st ranked unit in terms of fWAR. Plucking from the 25th best unit in Minnesota doesn’t provide many options, but there are at least two that come to mind.
Which Twins Are the Best Fit?
Buyers for a designated hitter aren’t plentiful. Only half of the sport uses one, and half of that half are uncompetitive. Cruz works in Oakland though, and he’d have to be seen as their most desired target from Minnesota.
Should the Twins want to try and increase the return, packaging the Dominican slugger, adding an arm makes some sense. Taylor Rogers is the most premium of relief options, but someone like Hansel Robles could help as well. They have made impact moves for starters previously, and Jose Berrios would resemble that, but Minnesota also has both J.A. Happ and Michael Pineda on the block.
Who Could the Twins Get Back?
There’s not much hope for a massive return when considering any of the expiring veteran contracts the Twins have. As good as Nelson Cruz has been, the market simply won’t be there to drive the price up too high. That being said, the Athletics have some nice names in their system, and throwing in someone like Taylor Rogers may move the needle. Arguably the most untouchable from Oakland would be 18-year-old shortstop Robert Puason. Short of including Jose Berrios, he’s not coming back to the Twins.
Someone like Daulton Jefferies or Greg Deichmann could have appeal as they are both now older prospects. Jefferies is a former first-round pick who got blasted in his big league debut and has scuffled at Triple-A this year. Deichmann was a 2017 2nd round pick but is now having his best pro season as a 26-year-old at Triple-A. If Minnesota wants to try and get creative, working a way to nab Jesus Luzardo would be somewhat of a coup. He hasn’t panned out as expected, but the prospect hype was all there, and a change of scenery could do him well.
I can’t imagine anyone from 15-30 in the Athletics prospect rankings being off the table in a swap that includes Nelson Cruz. Grant Holmes is a 25-year-old Triple-A arm, and Austin Beck was the 6th overall pick as an outfielder back in 2017.
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