One waiver trade deadline deal every MLB team should make

The Oakland A’s were active in July, but under general manager Billy Beane, the A’s are active from January to December – so their non-waiver trade deadline dealings should come as no surprise.

The club traded high-priced veterans Scott Kazmir, Ben Zobrist and Tyler Clippard and made a smart pickup by claiming Danny Valencia off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, who didn’t have a spot for him on the roster after making their own deals. All Valencia has done in an Oakland uniform is hit .333/.400/.778 with three home runs in his first seven games.

As you might expect, Beane and the A’s probably aren’t done making trades. Among those that could go are Coco Crisp, Sam Fuld, Edward Mojica and possibly Billy Butler. Beane would love to rid himself of the $11 million Crisp is owed for 2016 as well as the $13 million vesting option for 2017 – a year in which Crisp will be 37 years old. However, the A’s are likely to have to eat a good portion of that salary to get a deal done.

For that to happen, a team needs to have deep pockets and a need for an outfielder; someone like the nearby San Francisco Giants. With Nori Aoki and Angel Pagan both on the disabled list, the Giants are currently relying on Justin Maxwell and Gregor Blanco as everyday outfielders. Even though he’s been limited to just 22 games, and has only hit .096/.214/.110 in 84 plate appearances, Crisp would give San Francisco a possible upgrade.

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