MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades A’s should make

OAKLAND, AZ - JUNE 04: Yonder Alonso #17 of the Oakland Athletics hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning of the MLB game at Oakland Coliseum on June 4, 2017 in Oakland, California. The Nationals defeated the Athletics 11-10. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CA – JULY 15: Khris Davis (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

2. Trade Khris Davis to the highest bidder

Alonso isn’t the only A’s slugger on the market this summer – and this time, the term “slugger” is well-earned. Also, because he won’t be a free agent until 2020, Khris Davis would likely bring back far more in terms of prospects from the right trade partner.

Davis has 128 career home runs in five major league seasons, including 26 through his first 91 games this year. In 2016, Davis launched 42 home runs, and he’s hit at least 22 long balls four years in a row. The 29-year-old left fielder also drove in 102 runs for the A’s last season, and has 63 RBI so far this year.

Davis is not a high contact hitter, and he doesn’t have an impressive walk rate either (though he has improved from a 8.1 percent career walk rate to 11.5 percent this season). But he is consistent. Davis has a .248 career batting average and .316 on-base percentage, which like up very closely to his .245 average and .333 OBP this season. He has struck out in 32 percent of his plate appearances this season – up from a 26.5 percent career rate – but that’s a tradeoff for the elite power the right-handed hitter possesses.

Digging into Statcast data, we see Davis ranks fourth in the majors in average exit velocity (93.6 mph), and 55.6 percent of the balls he has put in play have traveled at a speed of 95 miles an hour or better – the second highest percent in the big leagues, and just ahead of Statcast god Aaron Judge.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect Davis will continue to rank among the league leaders in home runs for years to come, making him a very valuable trade chip should the team decide not to build around him.

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