The Oakland Athletics should trade Franklin Barreto at the deadline

Oakland Athletics second baseman Franklin Barreto has struggled so far in his major-league career and his time with the A’s could be running out.

Oakland Athletics infielder Franklin Barreto has been the talk of the team’s farm system ever since he was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Josh Donaldson deal way back in 2014.

And since then, Barreto has managed to rise through the ranks of the A’s minor league system and earn his shot in the majors. Not once, not twice, but now three times.

And each time, the A’s have been met with glimmers of hope and optimism only to be followed up by overwhelming disappointment. It’s not as if the A’s haven’t seen promise from Barreto, it’s that he just hasn’t been able to put it all together.

On Saturday night, Barreto had one of the performances that make you want to believe in him. The 23-year-old went 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk including a huge three-run blast that helped lead the A’s to a 13-2 rout over the Chicago White Sox.

But ultimately, the lack of plate discipline combined with his free-swinging approach has led to an abundance of strikeouts. In fact, going into Saturday’s game, Barreto had struck out in 43% of his plate appearances and was yet to draw a walk.

Combine that with an atrocious .087 batting average and it’s safe to say that his third trip to the majors hasn’t gone as well as he would have hoped. The same could be said for his previous two stints with the big-league club where he failed to see his on-base percentage climb above .253.

Now, it’s certainly not fair to write Barreto off as a bust just yet. After all, he is still just 23-years-old and is yet to have a real crack at it in the majors. That said, the list of excuses that have been used to defend Barreto during his career is only growing in length.

More from Oakland Athletics

• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• Oakland Athletics end perfect game, still lose Game 1 of Wild Card round
• Oakland Athletics: Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 of Wild Card round
• Oakland Athletics clinch first AL West title since 2013
• Oakland Athletics: Can Jamb Lamb save the restructured infield?

With the A’s expected to be buyers at the deadline, it’s likely that they look to trade away some of their mid-tier prospects to acquire a pitcher. If they plan to make a move for a reliever — say Will Smith — Barreto’s name probably doesn’t come up in trade talks.

But if they plan to make a push for a starter — especially one with team control past 2019 — expect teams to come calling for Barreto. Despite his struggles, the native of Venezuela is still highly-regarded inside most league circles and could still bring back a sizable package.

If the Athletics could go out and acquire a player like Matthew Boyd or Marcus Stroman with a package of Barreto and one of their young pitchers, that would be a hard bargain to pass up.

While they’ll likely be out of the race for someone like Noah Syndergaard, it is feasible to see the A’s go after players like Boyd or Wheeler.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

Even if it’s fairly unlikely.

If Barreto is moved, the A’s still have depth awaiting in the minor leagues with top prospect Jorge Mateo biding his time in Triple-A. Trading away Barreto would not only be betting on his downfall, but betting on the future success of Mateo.

In the short-term, the A’s could continue to roll with either Jurickson Profar or Chad Pinder at the position while Mateo continues to develop. There’s even the possibility that the team recalls veteran journeyman Corban Joseph who has been tearing it up in Triple-A Las Vegas.

Either way, Barreto might just need a change of scenery. It’s too early to completely give up on the talented middle infielder, but if he’s the key piece that lands the A’s a stud starter with team control, then it’s really hard to pass that up.

Unless Barreto shows out over these next couple of weeks, it might just be time for the A’s to part ways with him.