2011 MLB Trade Rumors: A’s Willing to Trade (Almost) Everyone

Ken Rosenthol of FOX Sports is reporting that the Oakland A’s are willing to take trade offers on any of their current players not named Jemile Weeks.  Once again, the A’s will likely turn to a young roster, meaning the club is expected to let its veteran free agents walk while taking calls on its more established talent.

Rosenthol says the driving force behind this sentiment is the A’s ongoing relocation situation.

Oakland has been seeking permission from Major League baseball to relocate to San Jose for years.  Commissioner Bud Selig put together a three-man panel to look into the possibility in 2009, but still nothing has been confirmed one way or another.

The A’s are looking to get out of Oakland because of the city’s poor revenues.  While they are still awaiting final word from MLB, Rosenthol thinks that either way the A’s will go young in 2012.

If the team is forced to remain in Oakland they will have to continue reining in their spending.  If the A’s are approved to relocate to San Jose, Rosenthol says the club will aim to put a contender together by the time their new stadium opens.  Because stadiums take about three years to construct, Billy Beane and the A’s would have to start looking at who will still be around in 2015 or beyond.

This likely eliminates any chance that the A’s bring back free agent veterans Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, Coco Crisp or Hideki Matsui.

This is also how Jemile Weeks becomes left out of the trade rumor equation.  Weeks made his Major League debut in 2011, and is not yet arbitration eligible.

However, outside of Weeks, Rosenthol hears from league sources that the A’s will entertain trade offers on all of their other young talent.  This includes starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson and Tyson Ross as well as backstop Kurt Suzuki.

While no one thinks that Beane is actively shopping these players, he isn’t immediately hanging up the phone either.  If someone is willing to blow him away or at least give Beane what he considers solid return, the general manager is expected to part ways with his young core.

Obviously in a free agent market such as this, Beane would hold leverage in any deal involving his young arms.  Gonzalez and Cahill are highly coveted and it will be interesting to see what types of offers the A’s receive this winter.

For more on the Athletics, be sure to check out Swingin’ A’s.