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Two Members of A's Opening Day Roster Now Appear to be Trade Chips
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- Two Members of A's Opening Day Roster Now Appear to be Trade Chips
With the A's hanging around the .500 mark at 32-35, a half-game out of a wild-card spot and 3.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, the expectation for this club is that they will be buyers by the Trade Deadline on August 3.
What kind of return they'll be able to bring back to Sacramento will depend on the pieces they're willing to move in a deal.
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Recent roster moves and comments make it seem as though two players that made the Opening Day roster could end up on the trade block.
A's Trade Pieces
The first is Denzel Clarke , who is beloved by the fan base and in the clubhouse, but his latest injury has opened the door for Henry Bolte to cement himself in center. After Tuesday's game in Las Vegas, manager Mark Kotsay said that Bolte isn't just a role player on the roster, "This kid has just taken over and found a home here."
With Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom already signed long-term with extensions, there isn't a ton of room to maneuver in the outfield. Carlos Cortes and Colby Thomas have formed a platoon in right field of late with Butler struggling, but the team hasn't given up on him by a long shot. They're just looking for ways to get him going.
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Clarke is out until at least the All-Star break, so the playing time situation won't have to be figured out until then. The A's would also be selling him at a low point if they moved him this summer. At the same time, there is no guarantee of increased production at the plate to help boost his value, or another injury that could also damage his current value.
Under ideal circumstances, the A's would wait to move him until he hit a hot streak, but that likely isn't coming before the deadline. Right now he has trade value as a glove-first player with tremendous bat speed. Another team may be able to hone those skills better than the Athletics .
William Liang-Imagn Images
The other trade piece seems to be Darell Hernaiz . While the talking points around his recent demotion were about getting him regular playing time, he's basically served a backup role on this team when everyone is healthy, and his lack of extra-base power is what's holding him back from a regular role.
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Hernaiz is a natural shortstop, and seems to excel when he's in that role. The missing piece is hitting more than singles. Since Jacob Wilson went down, Hernaiz received 72 plate appearances before his option to Triple-A this week, and he was fourth on the team in singles (14), despite having up to 49 fewer plate appearances than the players ahead of him.
He also ranked seventh in hits. Overall, he hit .262 with a .324 OBP — not bad numbers — but his wRC+ was 21 points below league average at a 79 because of a lack of walks and power numbers that went with it.
He has the tools to be an effective big-league player. A team in need of an everyday shortstop that has some extra pitching at the deadline would be the logical fit. He's great in the clubhouse and grades out as an above-average shortstop.
Hernaiz and Clarke are both valuable players that have a lot to offer a team willing to give them playing time. Given the A's level of need for pitching not only this year, but in the coming seasons, it's unlikely they'd balk at moving either player.
