Oakland Athletics: What positions should the team target at the trade deadline?
By Justin Fried
The Oakland Athletics are nearing the 2019 trade deadline and will be looking to make a number of moves to shore up positions of need ahead of the fall.
The Oakland Athletics season is heating up and the trade deadline is nearing. With the team playing some incredible baseball over the past two months sporting a 55-41 record, they’ll likely be looking to make some moves at the deadline.
After all, this is a team that has proven that they could compete at a high level as evidenced by their 36-16 record since May 16th — the best in the majors over that timeframe.
But with only a half-game lead in the wild card race, the A’s can ill-afford to rest on their laurels. Instead, they must acquire pieces to further establish themselves as legitimate championship contenders.
There are a few areas of concern — some more obvious as others — that the A’s could work to improve upon as we near the end of July. Let’s take a look at three positions where the A’s should look to upgrade at the trade deadline.
3. Second Base
While not as obvious as some other needs on the roster, the A’s could certainly use an upgrade at the second base position. The hole tends to get overshadowed by the otherwise potent lineup, but the weakness is there nonetheless.
Jurickson Profar was traded for this offseason and was expected to slot in as the everyday second baseman. Unfortunately, his performance this season has left a lot to be desired.
Profar is slashing just .212/.275/.377 on the year with a -0.3 WAR. He has been an overall detriment to the team despite some decent power numbers. So much so that the A’s decided to recall top prospect Franklin Barreto and give him an extended look at the position.
Related Story. The Oakland Athletics should trade Franklin Barreto at the deadline. light
Unfortunately, Barreto hasn’t done any better as the 23-year-old is hitting just .152 through 10 games and has struck out (13) more than double the number of times he has gotten on base (6).
The A’s have some prospects down in the minors at the position and haven’t completely given up on Barreto just yet, but it might be wise to make a move for a more established name at the deadline.
Players like Baltimore’s Jonathan Villar or Toronto’s Eric Sogard could make for intriguing targets and it would be fun to see the latter return to the Bay Area.
It won’t be entirely shocking if they don’t make a move here, but it’s certainly in the realm of possibility.