With the trade deadline quickly approaching, who could be on the move from the last-place Athletics?
Rentals
Miguel Andujar
There will be much bigger names than Miguel Andujar moved this month. But, he has some attractive qualities for a team looking to add to the depth of their roster. Affordable and expiring contract? Check. Some positional flexibility? Check. Experience playing in a big market? Check. He wouldn’t fetch a huge return, but a team could certainly be intrigued by those aforementioned traits and his bat to ball skills for the stretch run and potentially the postseason.
Gio Urshela
Also a veteran on an expiring deal, a club could need depth at the hot corner and sends a low-level prospect to the Athletics for a few months of Urshela. He’s played solid defense at 3B in the past.
Luis Urias
In an ESPN article listing one player per team that could be moved, Urias was selected for the A’s. He has some defensive versatility in the infield. Also, he has very good metrics on making contact (94th percentile whiff rate and 88th percentile K rate). He’s battled a hamstring injury this month, but he’s back and could get moved for a small return.
Major Pitching Moves
Mason Miller
As long as he’s pitching well on a struggling team, Miller’s name will be involved in trade rumblings. It would be a significant price for a team to pay, but there are few relievers more electric than Miller when he’s on his game. Also, there’s the possibility that a team acquiring him wants to make him a starter (as he was throughout the minors). Earlier this season, I got a feel for what a few contending teams (Cubs, Tigers, & Phillies) could part with for Miller. It’s unlikely the A’s sell his stock now (as Bob Nightengale recently reported), but they could get an offer that they can’t refuse.
Luis Severino
Partway through his first season, Sevy’s standing with the team is in a weird place. He’s struggling mightily, especially at Sutter Health Park, and he’s made his feelings known about the Athletics’ home ballpark situation. Could the team pull the plug on their offseason signing already? What would his value be? A lot of his metrics are down and he’s been especially bad recently (7.71 ERA in June and 5.86 in his last seven outings), but starting pitching is always a hot commodity at the deadline. A team could be optimistic that his home/road splits are for real and that he would thrive away from throwing his home games where he’s not comfortable.
Jeffrey Springs
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the A’s would listen to offers for Springs, Severino, and JP Sears. Like Severino, Springs was acquired this offseason to help anchor the rotation. The 32-year-old had a rough April, but he’s been better since then, carrying a 2.90 ERA in June (4.18 ERA on the season overall). With a 10.5M salary next season and 15M club option in 2027, he’s relatively affordable for a contender and isn’t solely a rental. It’s unlikely he’s still around when the A’s make noise in the American League and could fetch the team a solid return.
JP Sears
Mentioned alongside Springs and Sevy in Rosenthal’s piece, Sears is an interesting trade chip. He has a lot of affordable team control remaining (arbitration thru the 2028 season). But, he doesn’t provide much upside beyond a borderline backend rotation starter or bullpen piece on a playoff-caliber roster. In over 520 MLB innings, the 29-year-old has a career 4.51 ERA. This season, he has just 84 Ks in 101.2 innings with a 5.13 ERA. His metrics don’t paint a better picture with a 16th percentile fastball velocity, 3rd percentile groundball rate, and a 17th percentile whiff rate. While he goes limit hard contact, he does not miss bats and allows a lot of flyballs. A team could value his durability, but it might be unlikely to see them pay significant prospect capital for Sears.
Minor Maneuvers
Michael Kelly
Since his gambling suspension ended, Kelly has had a nice year in the bullpen for the Athletics. He has a 1.29 ERA in 14 games and could parlay the early success into a move to a contender. While he’s not a proven high-leverage reliever, the 32-year-old is still pre-arb next season and would be an affordable addition.
Max Schuemann
A versatile, solid defender that is still pre-arb, Schuemann is an interesting candidate. The 28-year-old has 95th percentile range per Baseball Savant. In 2025, he has played 22 games at 3B, 19 at 2B, 17 at SS, and nine across all three outfield spots. He won’t wow you with his bat, but he has good speed and could be a Swiss Army knife defensively on a contender’s bench.
Austin Wynns
Nothing says blockbuster trade like a backup catcher getting moved. Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds earlier this season, he’s hit three home runs in 19 games. With Willie MacIver in Triple-A having proved to be a decent enough depth catcher, perhaps a team desperate for a catcher could acquire the veteran backstop. For what it’s worth, he is still arbitration eligible for 2026.
