Melvin opens up on A's trade possibilities: ‘I'm still kind of holding my breath'

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OAKLAND — The lion’s share of trade speculation has focused on teammate Sonny Gray, but the truth is that Yonder Alonso could have also played his last game in an A’s uniform Sunday.

If that’s the case, Alonso made it a memorable one, drilling a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th to cap a 6-5 A’s victory in which they came back from a five-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins.

If talk of a potential trade is eating at him in any way, Alonso sure does mask it well. Asked if his night would be filled with any anxiety as Monday’s 1 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline approaches, Alonso emphatically denied it.

“I’m gonna see my wife, I’m gonna see my baby. He’s a little bit sick right now. I’m gonna try to be with him as much as possible, make sure I can give him some snuggles,” Alonso said. “When I get done here, my life just changes. I’m happy I get to go home and be with my family.”

Unlike Gray, a starter who has been linked to more than a half-dozen teams during the month of July in rumors, the interest in Alonso — at least as far as the public forum is concerned — has been limited primarily to the New York Yankees, who are also the reported front-runners to land Gray.

The prevailing thought is that if Alonso is dealt by Monday afternoon, it will be in a package deal with Gray to New York, which would in theory net the A’s a very nice return package of prospects. Center fielder Estevan Florial and infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo are two Yankees prospects who have been connected to Oakland.

A’s manager Bob Melvin could have been speaking for his team’s entire fan base when he stated after the game: “I’m still kind of holding my breath.”

Gray, who will start against the Giants on Monday night if he’s not traded, went through his typical pregame routine with teammates. He slipped out of the clubhouse after the game and politely declined any comment when approached by a reporter. But Melvin’s comments about Gray before the game sure made it sound like he was bracing himself for his No. 1 starter to be dealt.

“I'd be happy as heck to keep him,” the manager said, “but I also understand if there's something we can't pass up, then the front office has to take a look at that.”

It’s a new feeling for some of the A’s young players, getting their first taste of the uncertainty that hangs in the clubhouse regarding teammates who could be packing their bags at a moment’s notice. Rookie center fielder Jaycob Brugman, who homered and went 3-for-5 against the Twins, said the trade earlier this month of relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson braced him for what’s possible in the final hours before the deadline.

But about his team in general, Brugman said: “When we get out on the field nothing matters but winning. We play hard. We don’t give up and we try to put our best effort on the field. We don’t really worry about what’s off the field.”

One development to follow: The Arizona Diamondbacks lost middle infielder Chris Owings to a fractured finger this weekend. If they feel they need some veteran depth, it’s not out of the question they could inquire about A’s second baseman Jed Lowrie.

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