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MLB: Which teams should try to trade for Kyle Schwarber?

By Joshua Sadlock

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 24: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Chicago Cubsfollows the flight of his solo home run in the 1st inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on May 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 24: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Chicago Cubsfollows the flight of his solo home run in the 1st inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on May 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 3: Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics sits in the Athletics draft room, during the opening day of the 2019 MLB draft, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 3, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 3: Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics sits in the Athletics draft room, during the opening day of the 2019 MLB draft, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on June 3, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /

3. Oakland Athletics

The Oakland A’s keep surprising the world and making the playoffs, but the team has not won a postseason series since getting swept in the 2006 ALCS. The Athletics have lost three of the last six American League Wild Card Games and face another uphill road to win their division in 2020. For the small-market A’s, it’s all about finding ways to game the system and exploit inefficiencies in the market.

The A’s are all about high on-base percentage, walks and dingers. Those are three things that Kyle Schwarber excels at. He’s the perfect Oakland Athletic in many ways, a less-polished, less roided-up version of Jason Giambi, if you well. Schwarber has the type of raw power that can cut through the Bay Area Oakland air.

Khris Davis has been the slugging DH for the A’s since 2016 and is entering the first year of a two-year, $33.5-million extension. Davis hit .247/.323/.534 his first three seasons in Oakland and averaged 44 home runs and 112 RBI. The 31-year-old struggled with injuries in 2019 and hit just .220/.293/.387 last season with 23 home runs and 73 RBI. It was his worst full season as a pro.

Schwarber would likely have to play the field in Oakland unless the A’s are able to flip Davis to another team. He would become another big left-handed bat to go along with Matt Chapman, Matt Olson and Marcus Semien. Next season may be the A’s best chance to dethrone the Houston Astros, and they need to be all in.

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