June 6, 2022
Frankie Montas: Montas, a righthanded starting pitcher, is probably the most well-known player on this roster right now, if you don’t count an aging Elvis Andrus, who will probably not be a valuable piece in trade talks. Montas would be a top of the rotation arm in any rotation excluding the Mets, if DeGrom and Scherzer are healthy of course. He currently has a 3.06 ERA in 12 starts with 78 K’s. This line fits with last year’s numbers as well, where he finished with a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts with 207 strikeouts. He is making a great impression this year, with his Average Against being the lowest of his career by about 20 points. Montas has one more year of arbitration before free agency, making him all the more valuable. He is very inexpensive for an ace this year, pricing at $5,025,000. His expected ERA shows that his numbers are about where they should be or in fact even a bit higher. His xERA is 2.97 according to Statcast. This 29 year old righthander should be on any contender’s want-list, including teams such as The Braves, Angels, Astros, Cardinals, Padres, and even the Rays or Blue Jays. A team such as the Rays or Padres would have the advantage in getting such a deal because of their deep farm systems.
Sean Murphy: The 27 year old catcher won the Gold Glove last year, but with catching prospects Tyler Soderstrom and the newly acquired Shea Langeliers rising up the ranks, he may need to find a new home. He has struggled mightily at the plate this year, only having a .193/.271/.365 line with a .636 OPS. His batting average on balls in play is only .246, but that’s only worse by 11 points than last year, perhaps enhancing the chance that his slump is not because of bad luck. He still only hit .216 last year. While you might never get great offensive production from him, he still will give plenty of production from behind the plate, making him a worthy trade candidate. His defensive runs saved above average was +10 last year according to baseball-reference.com. His caught stealing percentage is 11% higher than average as well. Some teams that could use him are the Astros (even the Yankees catchers look like Johnny Bench in comparison at the plate) and the Red Sox as they could use a controllable catcher. Murphy won’t be a Free Agent until 2026.
Paul Blackburn: The right-handed Blackburn has been one of those out of nowhere pitchers for the A’s. In 11 starts he has a 2.62 ERA and 58.1 innings. While he doesn’t get very deep in games (he only averages a bit over 5 innings per game), he has given the A’s some very valuable outings. He doesn’t strike a whole lot of hitters out, averaging just 4 strikeouts per outing, but he still effectively gets outs. While his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) puts him at a 4.39, he could still be a valuable back of the rotation piece for some teams. His xERA is 3.40 which would make him even more valuable than just looking at his FIP would indicate. Blackburn uses 6 pitches, a sinker, Curve, Cutter, Changeup, 4-Seam fastball, and slider. His Barrel Percentage is 2% lower than the league average which is at 6.7%, showing he allows weaker contact than most. Like Murphy, he is under team control until 2026. Some possible fits for trades would be the Cardinals, Rays, or Giants.
Cole Irvin: Yet another A’s pitcher, Irvin has been a bright spot for the A’s this year, in a season of mostly bad. Like Blackburn, he relies on soft contact instead of strikeouts and trying to blow away hitters. The difference is he induces more fly balls than league average instead of groundballs. Irvin currently has a 2.96 ERA in 45.2 innings and 8 starts. Irvin’s batting average against continues to be high, as well as his BABIP (batting average on balls in play). His expected ERA is also high, coming in at 5.06 and his strikeout percentage is almost 10% under league average this year. His barrel % has also been very high this year, somehow being 5% above league average. His weak contact percentage has somehow managed to be better than average too, however. Statcast gives him some very scary comparisons; such as 2021 Matt Harvey, which could very well scare off pursuers. A team like the White Sox could trade for him if any more pitching goes down. The Twins could also go after him for more depth. Irvin also has a TON of control, becoming a FA in 2027.