Fansided

Top 25 tradeable pieces to keep an eye on this season

By Joshua Sadlock

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – JUNE 02: Oakland Athletics second baseman Jedd Lowrie (8) singled in the first inning during a Major League Baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals on June 02, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO. The Royals won, 5-4. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – JUNE 02: Oakland Athletics second baseman Jedd Lowrie (8) singled in the first inning during a Major League Baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals on June 02, 2018, at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO. The Royals won, 5-4. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

11. Jed Lowrie

With their record above .500 into the month of June for the first time since 2014, the Oakland A’s are on the fringes of contention for the second Wild Card spot in the American League. This is a scrappy bunch that has not sunk below .500 since the first week of May. As exciting as it must be for the A’s, their front office and the fans, their moment in the sun is still at least a year away.

The top Wild Card will go to the second-place team in the AL East battle between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. That leaves three teams in the AL West, discounting the middling AL Central entirely, fighting for one playoff spot. In that race, the A’s are clearly the third-best team. Sticking around the edges of contention and finishing above .500 would be nice, but the A’s should not pass on the chance to continue adding more prospects at the deadline.

Veteran second baseman Jed Lowrie leads the A’s in most important offensive categories and is hitting .296/.362/.481 with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 42 RBI. Lowrie also had a solid season last year that made him a trade candidate at the deadline. The A’s kept him for 2018 at a price of $6 million and have more than gotten their money’s worth.

It is possible the A’s could consider holding onto Lowrie and trying to keep him after his contract runs out. At 34, however, he is likely to seek a bigger contract than the A’s can afford. Lowrie is also blocking top prospect Franklin Barreto, who does play shortstop but is a better long-term fit at second base.

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