MLB rumors: 5 players the Oakland Athletics should trade away

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 15: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas (47) before the regular season baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners on June 15, 2019, at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA. (Photo by Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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4. SP Brett Anderson

Pitching always has a special premium at trade deadline time, and particularly if Oakland moves to sell they will have contending teams calling about more than one of their arms.

Brett Anderson came back to the A’s on a one-year deal last offseason, and he has delivered a 3.68 ERA over 15 starts (85.2 innings) so far this year. That’s already his most innings pitched since 2015 with the Dodgers, and even with a couple of injury dings (ankle, ribs/side) he hasn’t missed a start and those issues had nothing to do with his pitching arm. He has allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his last nine outings, including six in a row heading into his Sunday start against Tampa Bay.

There isn’t much separation between Anderson’s K/9 and BB/9 rates (4.7 and 3.0), and his 4.49 FIP points to some good luck thus far in 2019. His next major injury always seems to be around the corner as well, so apart from any correction in performance a stint on the IL can practically be built into a projection over the rest of the season.

The A’s have gotten good pitching and full health (at least with no missed starts) out of Anderson as June winds down. That’s what they had to be hoping for, and now looks like the time to cash in on whatever level of trade asset the left-hander is.

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