Oakland A’s trade possibilities: Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea
I have included these pitchers together because they are both in very similar situations and any of the teams I would have included for one would have been included for the other. They only have one year left of team control, are expected to make about the same amount of money, and have very similar stats in regards to ERA, FIP, and expected numbers.
Any teams that show interest in either of these players are going to be contending this season, acquiring them as one of the final pieces needed for a world series push, which could lead to a nice haul for the Oakland A’s.
Boston Red Sox
Despite the signing of Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, and James Paxton, I think acquiring either one or both of these pitchers would help this rotation quite a bit more. With opt-outs for Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts, along with J.D. and Eovaldi on their last year, this team has postseason and world series aspirations that Bassitt and Manaea could help bring them to fruition.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco seems primed to push for the postseason right now with a lot of veterans on the team with renewed production that they could choose to capitalize on. They were able to bring back Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani and signed Alex Cobb to fill the hole Kevin Gausman left, all to match up with budding ace Logan Webb. However, the options available for the fifth spot look shaky which is where either of these pitchers could step in to give them a fully loaded five man rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers
If Clayton Kershaw is heading out of Los Angeles once the lockout is over, that creates a spot that the Dodgers will need to fill with a suitable replacement. Bassitt or Manaea are better options than either Andrew Heaney or David Price who as now are both in the rotation with Bauer’s uncertain situation and Dustin May’s injury that will most likely keep him out for a good part of the season. Even if Kershaw does come back, having more starting pitching depth is always a good problem and one LA has dealt with regularly.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto’s rotation looks pretty much set until you get to that fifth spot, potentially filled in by Ross Stripling who really hasn’t been the same since 2019. Nate Pearson is the other in-house option but he really has not had the innings to rely on him being there all season or bring his full production through the whole year. Bringing in either of these players gives Pearson a buffer year as a reliever and solidifies the Jays rotation to get back to the postseason.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have a lot of options to fill out their rotation with Jameson Taillon, Domingo Germán, Luis Severino, and Nestor Cortes. As well as some prospects like Luis Gil or Clarke Schmidt but I am unsure they want to rely on them given the team’s aspirations. Taillon and Germán I am skeptical about as I feel they could be any between average to back-end guys. Sevy hasn’t had a full season since 2018 and while he could come back strong, there is risk there. Lastly, Nestor Cortes was a nice surprise for the pinstripes but I am unsure if it is sustainable. There is potential for there to be a solid rotation amongst those four options but I think they would feel safer with either Bassitt or Manaea.