Oakland A’s
While the Oakland A’s typically are not considered to be a team that spends money on players at any point in time, they do have a history of making a splash at the trade deadline.
Over the years, they have acquired the likes of Jon Lester, Jeff Samardzija, and Tommy La Stella to bolster their postseason chances. As the A’s are battling the Astros for the AL West, it would behoove the A’s to find an upgrade at short, especially as they last in the majors in OPS at the position.
While Elvis Andrus has been on fire of late, his track record over the past few years is not the greatest. Story may be struggling by his standards this season, but he would be a tremendous upgrade at short, both in terms of what he brings to the lineup and with his defense.
The problem would be what the A’s would do with Andrus. He is under contract through 2022, with a vesting option for 2023. While the Rangers are picking up $7.25 million of his salary next year, Andrus would almost have to be sent to the Colorado Rockies in any trade for Story. This could mean that the A’s would need to either improve their package of prospects, or include additional money of their own to facilitate a trade.
The Oakland A’s make perfect sense as a landing spot for Trevor Story. They just need to figure out what to do with Elvis Andrus should a trade happen.